Noblesse Oblige
by ladyblaque
Summary: When the royal family is overthrown and the world at its brink of destruction, can Mikan, the princess who is a disgrace due to the lack of an Alice, save it? Seeking help from an ex-elite guard who is shrouded in mystery, the duo will learn the lessons that the Gods has planned out for them. Please review!
1. Prologue

_**Hi all! This is my new fanfic! Please enjoy it and don't forget to review!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters.**_

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**Prologue**

"_In a time, long ago, the world was created by the gods because they were lonely and did not like living alone in this vast universe. Light would be matched by darkness, life with death and the four elements with each other. In 7 days, the world was made and there was complete balance which was kept by the shinigami._

_Even with such balance, the Gods created a sword that would serve as a tool to eliminate evil should it enter their created world. But this sword was locked up and kept deep within heaven, never to be taken out unless all hope fails._

_There was much prosper in the world and the humans inhabiting it gave thanks to the gods for all occasions. The gods too were pleased that their loneliness was gone and that they had a new goal in life, making humans happy._

_However, as time passed, men forgot about gods. They forgot to give thanks when there was a bountiful harvest. They forgot to appease the gods when entering sacred lands. They forgot that their lives were the greatest gift from god and started to wage war against their kind. These made the four elements very unhappy for they were the servants of the gods as well._

_Unknowing to men and the elements, evil was entering their hearts and destroying the balance the Gods tried so hard to maintain._

"_Why is it that the humans are allowed to disregard our creators while we are bound for eternity to serve them?" The elements asked the Gods._

_The Gods replied, "Continue to serve them as you always would, for you rebelling against mankind would be similar to rebelling against us, your creators. Not all have forgotten us and as long as there is even one person who worships us, you must continue to serve men." _

_In truth, it pained the Gods to see their beloved creation turn against each other and forget about them. They saw how the darkness of evil began to plague the hearts of their creation but they remained inactive, seeing how hope still remained in mankind._

_After a long while, the elements came together once again to discuss their unhappiness. They were overworked and could not understand how the Gods could still wait for the humans to remember them. Their anger was a result of evil overshadowing their true purpose in life. Coming to a consensus, the elements started unleashing their destructive powers in rebellion._

_The earth hardened and there was difficulty in crop growth. The water swallowed up the boats as the fishermen's tried to fish. The air became cold and cutting, destroying everything in its path and fire refused to be tamed by man any longer._

_A Shinigami witnessed the destruction which went on and pleaded with the elements to calm down. He tried explaining that their actions only pushed men further away from Gods as he has heard their prays._

"_Why is it that God punishes us? What have we done to deserve such destruction and tragedy?" The people cried._

_This only angered the elements even more, causing the darkness in their hearts to intensify._

"_Worthless humans! They dare to question God without reflecting on their own actions. They don't deserve to be loved, let us wipe them all out."_

_Mayhem continued and many perished under the wrath of the elements. Life cried tears of sadness while death tried to withhold the entry of souls. The Gods themselves wanted nothing to do with the humans for they no longer heard any prayers which requested for their aid._

_Evil was elated as it even entered the hearts of Gods, causing them to abandon the ones which they love so much._

_One day, a young girl stood in the midst of this destruction and said a prayer. The shinigami who tried to pacify the elements was happening to fly past and stopped to take her prayer up to God._

"_Dear God, I know that you are upset because we humans have forgotten about you and the gifts that you have given to us. But even so, it is unfair to punish those who are innocent. What use is this life if you take it away so easily? As the destruction continues, so does the malice of those who use this opportunity to pillage and plunder. All I ask now is for peace and stability. I have lost my entire village and I have nothing to offer you, but if my life which is the greatest gift you have given to mankind proves to be of worth, take it. In return for peace and stability, take my life and retract your anger."_

_Upon hearing those words, the Shinigami went relayed the message to the gods. The Gods realised that they had fallen into the trap of evil and chased it out of their hearts. The words of the young girl had made them remember why they created mankind in the first place and why they had given them the greatest gift, the gift of life._

_The Gods looked at the young Shinigami and said, "We are unable to meddle in the affairs of men for it is an unspoken rule, but we will help those who seek peace in whatever way we can."_

_They took the sword that was created to slay all evil and gave it to the shinigami. Flying back down to earth, he stopped the young girl from killing herself and gave her the sword. _

"_I have heard your prayers and relayed them to the Gods. They are happy that you rely on them, but to restore balance in this world and eliminate this evil plaguing the hearts of your fellow men, you must be the strength for mankind. You are to collect six stones and with each stone collected, you master not only the four elements, but over life and death. Once you have done so, all evil will be gone and peace will return."_

_With every stone the young girl collected, the stronger the sword became and the easier it was to vanquish evil. To help her, the gods bestowed gifts, or Alices. However, being required to be fair and impartial; the gods made these Alices into stones and dropped them from heaven. Sometimes they would be absorbed by those who wanted peace, sometimes the Alices would be found by those advocating evil. An Alice was not created for the sole purpose of good or evil, but determined through the user._

_In the end, good prevailed and the stones wielded into the sword were released. The Gods allowed mankind to keep the sword in case evil began to spread once again but to prevent anyone from using it; they placed it in a stone which was guarded by the girl's bloodline._

_They also allowed those with Alices to continue utilising them and this gift was passed down through many generations. However, the law of balance still remained. As long as they did not overuse their Alices, their Alices would remain in their bodies._

_This period of confusion and destruction was labelled as the 'Kuro Era'._

_The four elements were apologetic for their actions and renewed their vows to serve mankind, never allowing evil to shadow their hearts. As such, they gave four specially chosen humans their powers and these served as their Alice._

_The four humans agreed that the girl should create a royal line which they would serve as she brought them out of the dark ages. An alliance was formed and the five main kingdoms were created to ensure that another dark period was avoided. Together, they created a new world where all could live peacefully."_

Mikan opened her eyes and took a deep breath as she finished reciting the story to the village children. She saw how the eyes of the many children were wide with awe and fascination.

"Again Mikan-sensei! Again!" The young child shouted from the back of the small room.

"Each time I see you, I recite this story, isn't it boring to you all?" Mikan questioned the child.

He merely looked awkwardly back at Mikan but the others were beginning to beg her to repeat the story.

"No way sensei! It's the best story ever! It gives us hope and teaches us many things! One more time sensei! I promise this will be the last!"

Smiling to the young child, the bells began toiling, indicating that the sun was setting. Looking at the door, she saw her bodyguard shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, I have to go now." Mikan sadly told them.

"Awwwww…" The children starting whining. One by one they each gave Mikan a hug and made her promise to tell them the story when she could see them again. They all left the room, running back to their parents and she herself walked out.

Turning back to see the run down small house one more time, she turned her heels and walked towards the palace.

"It's heartening to see them smile, don't you agree, Yukihira-hime?" Ruka looked down at the princess.

Mikan merely nodded. "It's all I can do for them."

"But that is more than enough. We best be getting back, it'll be time for dinner." Ruka whistled and two horses came trotting along the cobbled road.

"_No one misses me though."_ Mikan thought to herself as she mounted her horse and rode back to the palace. _"No one cares about the girl with no Alice in this world whereby having an Alice determines everything."_

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_**If you have enjoyed the chapter, please review and the next update would be faster! I'm a writer who's spurred on by reviews so please drop one! Please do also check out my other works: Enigma Sonata (NXM) and What's in a name (KXS). Thanks!**  
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	2. Chapter 1: Chikau

**Chapter 1: Chikau;Vow**

Upon reaching the palace gates, the guards stopped Ruka and Mikan.

"Who goes there?" One of them enquired.

Mikan let out a sigh, "its Mikan-hime. Let us through."

Hearing that the princess was waiting at the gates, they looked at the duo for confirmation and quickly opened the gates. Nodding in Ruka's direction to acknowledge their superior, Ruka glared vehemently at the guards.

"_Insolent idiots! How can they not recognise their own rulers? Talk about the nerve, trying to get confirmation…"_ Ruka thought in his head.

Both of them rode in silence till they dismounted their horses. Each time they left the palace, the same thing would occur. The guards would gawk at them and sneer behind their backs. When they return, they would not throw open the gates as if welcoming their master, but rather go about it in a highly suspicious manner. If Ruka did not accompany Mikan out on her frequent visits, he was sure they would have denied her access to her own home.

"Mikan-hime! Mikan-hime!" The pink haired lady-in-waiting ran towards Mikan.

Spinning towards the sound, Mikan looked at Misaki Harada, her only lady-in-waiting. "What is it Misaki?"

Catching her breath, she panted, "hurry… no time… need to get ready… for dinner… Koizumi-sama… isn't pleased that… you're late…"

Mikan's eyes widened in fear. She knew better than to incur the wrath of her stepmother. Taking Misaki's hands, she ran in the direction of her room, only to realise that she had left Ruka without a proper goodbye.

"Thanks Ruka for today! See you later!" Mikan shouted and continued running with a struggling Misaki.

Yuki, Mikan's white horse tapped the ground in frustration and nudge Ruka in the back as she was not getting any attention.

"I know you're worried about Mikan but there's nothing we can do for her." Ruka spoke to the elegant animal.

As if unsatisfied with his reply, Yuki nipped Ruka's stroking hand while his own horse neighed in annoyance.

"OUCH!" he emphasised as stared at the horse in the eyes, only to see his own reflection. Looking in the direction of where Mikan ran off to, he knew that he would have to do something to cheer her up later. Taking the reins hanging loosely off Yuki, he led her and his own horse to the stables.

* * *

Not bothering to bathe, Mikan threw off her brown muslin dress and slipped on a dark emerald green evening gown. While Misaki was taking care of her dress, another of Misaki's doppelgangers was taking care of her hair. Within 5 mintues, Mikan looked as if she just had a bath.

Checking her appearance one last time, Mikan ran to the dinning area and waited to be announced.

"Her royal highness, Mikan Yukihira, has arrived for dinner." With two loud taps from the announcer's stick against the marble floor, the large oak doors swung open. There stood Koizumi-sama, and sitting already at the table, Sumire-hime.

SLAP!

The sound echoed through the great hall. Feeling the stinging on her left cheek, Mikan left her head in that position.

"Where have you been?" Luna Koizumi spat at her step daughter.

"I was in the village."

SLAP!

Her other cheek was slapped, this time with a heavier hand.

"Then you shouldn't have come back. You should have gone and killed yourself, or let some bandits take you away, or better yet, sell yourself to the brothel. Why are you here then?" Luna looked at Mikan with disgust and started wiping her hands against the napkin which she had took from the table.

Sumire looked on with a tinged of shock and hopelessness as her step sister was being punished by her mother.

"I am here, because I have a duty to fulfil as the princess of this country." Mikan turned her head and stared back with a vengeance at her stepmother.

Before Luna could land another blow on Mikan's face, the announcer interrupted, "His royal majesty, King Yukihira, has arrived for dinner."

"Wipe that look off your face and sit at your place for dinner." Koizumi-sama hissed in Mikan's ear before returning to her seat.

Mikan's father strolled into the dining hall and sat at his place, the far end of the table. Seeing how his wife and daughters were looking, he nodded to his butler and dinner was served. What caught his attention was how silent Mikan was throughout dinner.

Usually she was silent, but this time round, there was a different aura around her, a different kind of silence, as if she was forcing herself to be that way.

"Mikan dear, is anything the matter?" Izumi Yukihira put down his cutlery and looked at his eldest daughter.

Mikan turned to look at her father and in that moment, she wanted to scream out loud at the treatment she had received, but she kept it all in. "Nothing is the matter otou-san; I'm just tired from my visit to the village." Looking back at her food, she began cutting them out to bite sizes.

As much as he was king, Izumi Yukihira was a powerless one because like his daughter, he had no Alice. But he was not as stupid as his advisors make him out to be. Under that persona, he was a man who was very observant and very intelligent. He immediately noted how Mikan's cheeks were flaming red upon his arrival but decided to keep quiet about it in case it was a case of exertion. However, midway through dinner, he noticed how the redness has not decreased and her cheeks were starting to swell.

He began to suspect that she was punished by someone, knowing how badly Mikan was treated in the palace. Despite that knowledge, he could do nothing about it due to her lack of an Alice. Since those with an Alice were thought to be more superior in this world, they usually belonged to nobility, but Mikan was the exception.

Izumi was elated to be marrying Yuka Azumi, a noble lady who he had been courting for a long time. Having no Alice himself, the ministers of court approved their marriage only because Yuka had one of the strongest teleportation Alices, also, they discovered that she had two very rare Alices, the Alice of insertion and stealing. Once it was confirmed that Yuka was with child, the ministers began speculating about the new born child and her extraordinary powers. However when it was known that the child would have none, Izumi's position sank even lower.

Frustrated with his position, he disliked being used as a puppet and not having a voice of his own but there was a comforting thought in this stifled position. He could be anything he wanted, within the four walls of his room.

The silence in the dining room was so loud that it rang in Izumi's ears.

"Mikan…" His daughter looked to him with her brown orbs, "come to my room tonight. I have some things to discuss with you."

Mikan nodded and was secretly elated.

In her father's room, she was treated with love. In her father's room, Izumi was not a puppet king, but a father to his child.

* * *

Luna was angsty when she heard that Mikan was called to Izumi's room.

"_That little runt is going to be pampered by her father again! Damn those spies I put in this palace! They can't even hear what is going on in that room. Izumi must have made it in such a way that the walls were 3 feet thick."_

Luna was Yuka's best friend and it was only fitting that she was made as a concubine for Izumi once Yuka produced a child with no Alice, since she was the general's daughter. She had secretly loved Izumi for the three of them were great friends. She too, loved Yuka and never wanted their little circle to be broken apart. However, that love turned to hatred when Yuka was married to Izumi and made queen of Nuru.

Thinking that she would gain Izumi's love and that everything would return to as it were when she was married, her hopes were crushed when Izumi only held a flame for her best friend. Luna's heart turned to stone and with each passing day, she cursed Yuka to her death. Izumi loved the child that she bore as much as he loved Mikan, but somehow, that was a love that she never had.

Bitter with jealousy, she plotted and plotted along with her father.

"_Soon… it will be soon."_

* * *

Izumi was pacing around his room before he heard three silent knocks. He stopped midway in his steps and instructed for the person to enter.

"Good evening otou-san." Mikan entered and gently closed the door behind her.

Immediately she was embraced in a bear hug by her father. Initially shocked, she calmed down and relaxed into her father's embrace.

"Mikan, let me see your face." Izumi pulled away and cupped his daughter's cheeks, but his hands were brushed away by Mikan's quick reflexes.

"It's all right. I was a little sunburn from today." Mikan lied, not looking her father in the eyes. She did not want her father to be worried about her since she knew the burdens her father had to carry as he had no Alice.

Izumi looked at his stubborn daughter and chuckled, "you know, you look just like your mother when you're lying and trying to hide something from me. I knew you'd say that, so I've instructed Ruka to bring his father. You can enter now."

As soon as he said that, the doors to the room opened and in walked Ruka, following behind a blonde haired man with piercing blue eyes.

"MIKAN –CHAN!" The blonde haired man launched into a sprint towards the 15 year old princess, but he was held back as Ruka grabbed the ends of his shirt.

"Otou-san could you please not overwhelm Mikan-hime here and do you duty as the court physician?" Ruka calmly told his father.

Laughter escaped from both Izumi and Mikan as they looked at the comical duo before them.

"Narumi, you sure raised Ruka well. As he said, could you please attend to my daughter? Her cheeks have been swelling since dinner." Izumi instructed.

A pouting Narumi walked towards Mikan and asked her to sit before taking her pulse and checking her face.

"Hmm… Hm…"

Mikan looked pleadingly at the physican, as if asking him not to disclose why her cheeks were red. However, Narumi shook his head and gently pat her hand.

"It seems that she was slapped really hard. A cold compress and some ointment should suffice. The swelling will go down tomorrow as well." Standing up from his seat, he went to his bag and took out a small case which had the stated cream. "Apply this lightly on your skin after the cold compress, after your bath." Narumi handed her the cream.

The room went silent as everyone basked in each other's presence.

"This… this brings back memories doesn't it Narumi?" The king looked at his physician and smiled.

"It sure does, it was almost two years ago that the four of us was in this room." Narumi reminiscent.

Ruka looked at Mikan and found her looking back at him. Blushing a light shade of pink, it was etched into his memories, the first day that he had met the Princess.

"_Ruka, for obtaining the first place in the King's Guard's test, you will now serve as the Princess' bodyguard. Keep her safe from all harm, even if it means putting your life down. That is what it means to be a Kind's Guard and to serve the King and his first born child." Narumi looked proudly at his soon as he was presented to the King._

_Ruka bowed to the king but a girl's voice cut through the solemn presentation._

"_Lay down your life?!" Mikan ran out from behind her father. "Otou-san! I don't need a guard, much less someone who takes life so lightly."_

_The chestnut brown haired princess was shocked that the King's Guard was required to put their lives on the line if required._

"_Mikan… don't be rude and introduce yourself properly." Izumi frowned disapprovingly at his daughter._

"_If I may be so bold hime, I do not take my life lightly that is why I train hard to preserve mine. But in this line of duty, your life is much more important than a lowly being as me, so if need be, I will stake my life for you." Ruka replied Mikan while looking at the floor. Upon looking up, he saw Mikan's face merely inches away from his._

"_Let me be clear guard-san, in this palace, my existence is equivalent to that of yours. It can be thrown away if need be, so with that explanation, I'm sure you understand that I don't need anyone throwing their lives away from me." Mikan argued._

_Ruka looked fiercely back at the girl who was half a head shorter than him, "Hime, even if you try to persuade me, you still have royal blood running through your veins. If I were to treat you as an equal, you'd have to drain all your blood. Hence, please allow me to serve you to my utmost ability as a King's Guard."_

"_You… ah… hm…" Mikan processed the guard's words and kept quiet as he had a point. Curtsying, she introduced herself. "Mikan Yukihira, first princess of Nuru, 14 years old."_

_Bowing slightly, Ruka began his own introduction, "Ruka Nogi, King's Guard, your personal guard and the son of court physician Narumi Anju, 16 years old."_

"_Well well, the kids are getting along pretty well if I must say Izumi-san." Narumi spoke up and patted his son on his back._

_Izumi looked at the young boy and was sure he was making the right choice; Ruka Nogi would protect the princess without a doubt._

Clearing his throat, Izumi looked at the clock on the dresser and urged the rest to retire for the day. Giving her father a long hug, Izumi placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Do you still have the stones I gave you for your 14th birthday Mikan?"

Mikan nodded at her father's strange question.

"Make sure to make all of them your friends. You remember that this was Okaa-san's wish as she didn't want the stones to be lonely."

Mikan looked at her father's sad eyes and promised him.

"Good, now I need to speak to your father Ruka, so please send Mikan back to her room."

Bowing at the command, Ruka led Mikan out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"Let's go Mikan-hime." Ruka urged the princess who was staring out the window at the moon.

After a while, he broke the silence, "why'd you let Luna-sama hit you? I know you could have dodged it."

Mikan stopped in her tracks and smiled back weakly at him.

"You know Ruka, I've made friends with all the stones like what okaa-san wanted and they're happy that I'm their new mistress."

"You're not answering my question."

"They've been telling me that something is about to happen, the stones." Mikan let out a sad sigh, "I guess, it was one of those days where I had to get hit. She mustn't know that I've been training with the King's Guard."

"But… you are a princess, you're not to be hit, even by your stepmother."

"Ruka," Mikan's brown eyes bore into Ruka's soul, "in this whole place, the only people who respect me are those in the King's Guard, Misaki-san, your father and my own father. Everyone else treats me like dirt, but because of that, I'm willing to be subjected to this discrimination. I know my place in this palace and even though I won't assume the throne, I will do whatever I can for the people. If I could be less of a liability, then I will because one day, the King's Guard will no longer protect me, but Sumire instead."

Ruka looked at Mikan who was trembling with anger.

"I understand." He gently took her hand and knelt down.

"What are you doing Ruka?"

"Reaffirming my vow to you." Ruka knelt in the dark corridor and looked up at the princess he had been accompanying for two years, "I vow to protect you always, even if you no longer are a princess. I will do what I can so that you can achieve your dream and if need be, I'll lay down my life for you because I am, your personal guard."

Standing up, Mikan hugged him. "Thank you Ruka."

* * *

The door behind them closed and Izumi went back to his favourite armchair.

"What is it that you need to speak to me about, Izumi-san?" The blonde haired doctor crossed his legs and placed his hand on his knee.

Looking at the younger man, he spoke, "I've never got the chance to thank you."

"What for, you highness?"

"For looking out for Mikan and taking care of her."

Narumi looked at his senior and smiled. "Do you know why I became a doctor Izumi-sama?"

The king looked towards the man and shook his head.

"I became one because in the eyes of medicine, all are equal. Whether you have an Alice or not, we all stand before ailments and sickness equally. The infections don't choose who they want to infect and the medicines don't have a better effect on those with Alices. So that's why I became a doctor. In this world where having an Alice determines so much, at least I know that we are still all equal in some way or another." Narumi ended his mini monologue and took a deep breathe.

The last time he ever needed to explain to someone why he wanted to become a doctor was a decade ago. That was when he met Yuka Azumi, the woman changed his perspective on this frustrating world.

Narumi hated his alice since it was a Pheromone Alice. He hated how he could get whatever he wanted with such ease just because of his Alice. In this world, not only does having an Alice count towards your status, the type of Alice and the strength of it determine your social standing. Narumi was merely a Baron (which is the lowest status in aristocracy).

Yuka taught him to remove any distinction between an Alice wielder and a normal person because we are still governed by the same laws of nature. She was the one who opened his eyes to the equality and pushed him into studying medicine. It was as if fate decreed that he was to be a physician, for his Alice helped to calm patients who were delusional with pain, or help subdue those with hallucination. With time, Narumi was a well-known throughout the kingdom for his astonishing abilities.

"Besides that, you seem that you have another thing on your mind." Narumi snapped out of his memories and asked Izumi when he saw his strained expression.

"My spies have been reporting that there will be an uprising soon."

"Uprising?!" Shock interlaced with fear ran through Narumi.

Who would want to plan an uprising now? Wasn't Izumi-sama doing a good job at pretending to be the puppet king? Didn't he listen and approve of his minister's plans?

"Yes Narumi. They're not certain who is leading the rebellion but it will target the royal family. As such, if anything should happen to me, I need you to remain here in the palace." Izumi looked solemnly at his friend.

Silence filled the room once more, "What about Mikan-hime?"

"Your son must keep her safe at all cost. She is the only person who can end this conflict and her survival is the key in winning this battle."

"Then why must I remain here?!" Narumi asked pointedly, "I can be of great help to her."

"How can you help her if she does not have eyes within the palace? As it is, Ruka has been doing a great job, but he needs to know the enemy's movements from within."

Narumi's mouth opened to argue, but shut it soon after as he fought the frustration within. "_Sure she would need all the help she can get, but what if she gets hurt? What if assassins are sent after her?"_

Izumi knew the turmoil in his friend's heart for Mikan was as much a daughter to him as well. "I know it's a difficult thing to ask of you, but you must believe me when I say you are more advantageous here in the palace. Tomorrow I will bring her and Sumire down to _that_ place. _It_ has been calling out to me and _it's_ asking me to choose a master for _it_."

"So soon?" Narumi's head whipped back to look at his king.

"_It _senses the danger and I guess it's time to see what fate has written for my two daughters."

"How long more before it awakens within her?"

Izumi pondered in silence, _"Soon… very soon."_

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_**Thanks to all who reviewed! I apologise that this chapter took more than a week to be submitted. It was difficult deciding how much of character's past to be revealed. To those waiting for Natsume's debut, he's coming in the next chapter!**  
_

_**As before, please review because it spurs me to write faster, especially when I'm stuck in the plot! :D**_

_**For replies:**_

_**Lessthanthreeanime: First review! Haha! I'm ever so glad to see that you're still following me! I hope most of the readers who liked Enigma would come and read this cause it's a different story! :) Thanks so much for your awesome review! It made me really really happy!**_

_**Enilezah: Hello second reviewer! Yup, your review made me really sit down and think about this chapter. This is one of the most difficult chapters I had writing due to the sheer amount of information. I hope you enjoyed it though! Natsume is coming soon!**_

_**unknow98: Hope you didnt' have to wait long for this chapter! How did you find it so far? Love to hear more from you!**_


	3. Chapter 2: Tenshoku

**_Hello readers! I tried to churn this out as fast as I could, so I hope there are no grammar mistakes. Please pardon some of the more awkward phrasing._****  
**

**_Just to clarify:_**

**_Things which are Italicised- _**_they refer to thoughts or conversations that are telepathic. Basically anything which happens in the mind is telepathic._

_**Things which are Italicised and bolded- they are usually someone else's thoughts or sound effects**  
_

_**I hope with this, it'll be clearer throughout the story.**_

_**Also, I've changed the age of some characters but they will still remain in character. This is to fit in with the plot!**_

_**Without further ado, PLEASE ENJOY! :)**_

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**Chapter 2: Tenshoku; Calling**

Ruka stirred from his sleep once the sun's rays hit his face.

"Ugh…" He rolled over to his side, planning to catch more shut eye, but immediately sat up when a homing pigeon tapped on the window.

"_Sir, sir! Please wake up and let me in! I have an important message to deliver!"_

"It's a little early Pigeon-san," Ruka yawned and opened the window, "who is it from?"

The pigeon flew in and sat on the small table in the corner of Ruka's room. Closing the window to keep the cold air out, Ruka walked to the pigeon and removed the letter from its outstretched leg.

"_He didn't leave a name and said that you'll know."_

Rolling out the parchment, he read the short message and his breath hitched in his throat. Reading the message two more times, he threw it on the table and started changing into his guard's uniform with haste.

"_Erm sir, I'm still here."_ The homing pigeon tapped at the desk.

Ruka pulled out his small braid, which hung on the right in front of his ear and had three crimson red beads intertwined with his blonde hair, from his white blouse. "Oh sorry, here," reaching for the small jar of biscuits which he kept on his desk, he gave the bird a small piece, "thanks again." Then throwing the window open, he watched the bird fly into the sky.

Standing by the window, he let the cold air cut into his skin, then grabbing his sword hanging on the chair; he stuffed the note in his pocket and fastened the belt with his sword. He walked out of his room and made his way to his commanding officer's office.

* * *

Sumire yawned and tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. She never liked waking up so early in the morning but since her father sent instructions personally, she had no choice. Stifling a yawn which was surfacing, she turned to look at her half-sister.

Unlike Mikan's rich brown hair, Sumire had very dark green hair which was very hard to tame. As such, she decided to have her hair cut short all round except for a few strands which start to curl at its ends. She never understood how Mikan could keep her hair in such a shiny state and yet spend time doing up her hair every day.

"_Well, she most probably has her maid do it for her." _Sumire thought as she started twirling one of the longer strands.

Mikan so happened turned and caught Sumire looking at her. She stopped playing with the light orange fabric which her dress was made of and greeted Sumire.

"Good morning Sumire." Mikan beamed.

Sumire could never fathom how her half-sister could be so happy at all times of the day, "Hm... morning."

"Do you know why otou-san called us out?" Mikan looked quizzically at the girl and put a finger under her chin to think.

Letting out another yawn, Sumire answered, "No idea, though it should be something important since he called us so early in the morning."

As soon as Sumire finished what she was saying, the door to the King's study opened and in walked Ruka and the Izumi.

Both girls curtsied and Ruka stood behind Mikan.

Seeing Sumire standing beside Mikan, Ruka nodded his head slightly in acknowledgement to the other princess. _"__**Thump b-thump thump**__. I didn't know Ruka was going be here otherwise I would have chosen a more flattering dress!" _Sumire blushed a shade of red as the King's Guard walked in to stand behind Mikan.

"Good morning my lovely daughters, I trust that you had a good sleep?" Izumi looked at each of his daughters which were blooming with beauty before continuing on, "well, there is something that we must do today and this must be kept a secret. Do I make myself clear?"

Both girls nodded and Izumi proceeded to his large bookshelf. Reaching out to one of the books, he pulled down and the entire shelf moved backwards revealing a passageway.

"Ruka if you could please stand at the entrance way and make sure no one enters?" Looking at the blonde haired guard, he received an acknowledgement and went on to light a small lamp. "The door will close after we enter. So if there's a pressing matter that requires my attention, just press this," Izumi handed Ruka a small buzzer, "it will ring for me and I will return. In that time, you need to keep this room empty. Also if one of my ministers asks what you are doing in this room, there's a stack of documents that need sorting out in order of urgency. I'll leave this to you."

Taking the small lamp, Izumi walked down the stairs first, and motioned to both his daughters to follow suit.

"Watch your footing; it tends to be a little slippery." Izumi warned and walked down gingerly.

Mikan and Sumire lifted their floor-length skirts from the floor and used their hands to navigate down the dark, narrow stone staircase.

Once Mikan's skirt cleared the doorway, the bookshelf moved back to its original pace, blocking out any light which was illuminating the path from the back. Staying still for a while, she let her eyes adjust to the darkness and saw small plants which glowed in the dark to reveal the steps.

Slowly walking behind her sister, her father soon came to a stop at the bottom of the staircase and blew out the light to his lamp.

Putting down the lamp, Izumi instructed, "Let your eyes adjust to this new level of darkness then we will proceed." Feeling the wall for the button, he pushed his body weight against it and a large bolder moved out of place. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he stepped inside the large stone cave.

Sound of trickling water was heard in the darkness and Sumire, who was already on the ground, gawked in amazement at the scene in front of her once her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Mikan slowly made her way down the last two steps and once her eyes adjusted as well, she too was dumbfounded.

In front of them was a large cave lighted up by numerous glowing plants which glowed blue and green. The roots of the plants above also gave off small amounts of light and decorated the top of the cave randomly. On their right, was a small waterfall and the water trickled into the larger water body which flowed under the stone pathway which they were now standing on.

In the middle of the water body and at the end of the stone pathway, stood a large bolder with something shiny sticking out. Izumi had gone before his daughters and stood before the large rock. Resting his hand on the boulder, he felt the flow of warmth enter through his palm.

"Come here when you are ready." Izumi's voice cut through the serene sound of the trickling water.

Looking at each other, Mikan walked first then followed by Sumire on the narrow stone pathway.

Upon walking closer to the boulder, both girls noted that the shiny thing embedded in the rock was actually the hilt of a sword.

As soon as Mikan stood within 2 meters of the boulder, a gush of cold air immediately blew past her and she shivered.

"…_you…"_

"Did you say something Sumire?" Mikan turned immediately to Sumrie.

Sumire looked at a wide eyed Mikan, "erm… no?"

"Then… did you hear someone saying 'you'?"

Either Mikan was losing her head or she was hearing voices, "no Mikan, I didn't hear anything."

Izumi who was watching them from the corner of his eyes gave a little smile before interrupting them.

"Do you remember the girl in the story of how the world was created?"

Both of them nodded and stared curiously at their father who had his hand on the boulder.

"Remember there was a sword which was given to her from the gods?"

Mikan's eyes widen even more. _"Is otou-san saying that the sword behind him is Kami's Sword?"_

"…_you… here…"_

Again Mikan looked at her sister but seeing that her mouth was not moving, she looked all round for the source of the sound.

"Is that Kami's Sword?" Sumire asked, seeing how pale Mikan had become.

"It is. Our bloodline is one that relates directly to that girl and we have been entrusted to care for this sword. To protect it from misuse, our ancestors placed the sword in this stone until the time calls for it."

"…_you… here… release…"_

This time Sumire heard the whispering voice and looked around for its source like her sister. The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand as she felt an immense power being emitted from the boulder.

Seeing that both girls were looking around, Izumi chuckled. "You are hearing voices aren't you?"

Both girls fixed their eyes back on their father and the same thought passed through their head, _"how does he know?"_

"I know because I was once the master of it. The sword is calling out to the both of you, just as it does to me, though I must say it took some time before Sumire could hear it, am I right?"

The green coloured hair princess looked at her father and nodded slowly.

"Over time, the sword developed a conscious of its own and by the end of the story; it was communicating with the girl through telepathy. Now on to pressing matters, at your age, I was brought by my father to this place. Not everyone is able to remove the sword from its boulder despite being able to hear its voice, only those who are the true heirs of the young girl will be able to pull the sword out."

"Come Mikan, you first." Izumi motioned for the older princess to remove the sword.

Stepping up in front of the boulder, Mikan felt the cold air rush through her body again.

"…_you are here… release me…"_

Using both hands to grip the hilt of the sword, Mikan took a deep breath and drew the sword. It was heavier than the ones she used to practice during her training, but willing all her might to her muscles, she eventually pulled the sword out from the stone.

Once it was released, Mikan saw her own reflection in the sword's shiny blade surface. Somehow her surroundings began to fade away, and the noise started to dampen.

"_Mistress…"_

"Put it back Mikan." Her father instructed her and snapped her out of her trance.

Shaking her head to clear it of its fogginess, Mikan replaced the sword back, and then stepped back to where she was originally standing.

Sumire saw the whole ordeal and the glazed look her sister gave once the sword was released from its boulder.

"… _release… me…"_

Shuddering with fear, Sumire slowly stepped forward to the boulder and did as her sister had done. She too, placed both hands on the hilt of the sword and summoning all her strength, she attempted to lift the sword out of its boulder.

However, unlike her sister, the sword did not move on bit. Trying again, Sumire took a deep breath and tried to lift the sword but it remained stuck in the boulder.

"… _re…lea…"_

The voice in her head was also fading away and after several attempts, she gave up and stood at her place.

"Well, it seems we know who the sword has chosen." Izumi patted Mikan on the head.

"Why won't it move for me?" Sumire demanded, unable to comprehend the choice of the sword.

"As I said just now Sumire, not everyone who hears the sword will be able to remove it from its boulder. Our ancestors have created this ward in such a way so that only the true heirs are able to remove it."

"But I am your daughter; I have the same amount of blood, which is from you, in me as Mikan!" Sumire was clearly not going to accept that explanation.

"I'm sorry Sumire. I do not choose the sword's successor. This world is fair, what you have, Mikan doesn't, and what Mikan has, you don't. This is the ultimate law which the God's have bestowed on us and it is upheld in every single thing we do. Do not envy your sister Sumire, for you are the successor to the throne." Izumi sighed and looked sadly at his daughter.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, Sumire held her tongue and awaited further instructions from her father.

"Remember, the location of the sword is to be kept in secret and its existence should never be let known to others, except those in the direct line for the throne. Am I understood?"

"Yes otou-san." Both girls answered in unison.

Then a buzzing in Izumi's pocket indicated that their time in this cave is to be cut short.

"If the kingdom ever comes to ruin, or I am assassinated, both of you must retrieve the sword together."

"Together? What use am I if I cannot remove the sword?" Sumire questioned her father's instructions.

"Despite not being the sword's successor, it does not mean you are omitted Sumire darling. When the time comes, you will find out. Both of you need to come together to draw it out. Now, I have matters to attend to, so let's return before Ruka gets lonely."

Touching the boulder one last time, Izumi walked away and his daughters followed suit.

"… _don't… leave… time… come…"_

The haunting last few words of the sword echoed loudly in both Mikan's and Sumire's heads as they turn their backs against the sword and passed the large boulder which slide back into place, shutting any cold air which Mikan was feeling and the words of the sword.

* * *

Hidden between the long blades of grass, he stalked his brown furry prey. Squatting down, he drew an arrow from the quiver on his back and placed it in between his fingers.

"_Stay there for just a while longer…"_

He pulled the arrow backwards and felt the tension in his arm. Once he knew he got a good shot, he released and the arrow zip through the air and pierced not one, but two rabbits.

"_Great, I don't have to hunt for a few days now."_

Standing up, he let the blood slowly return to his legs before making his way towards the animals and started to drain their blood.

"_I wonder if I should cook rabbit stew or let them dry…"_

A cold winter's breeze blew and his thin cotton shirt provided no protection against the chilling wind.

"_I guess I should start to dry them, winter's approaching."_

Picking up the rabbits by their ears, he carried his prey back to the humble cottage which was in the middle of a green valley. No one came around this area due to its distance to the capital of Nuru and the conditions at night were harsh for someone who had no survival training.

Upon reaching his humble abode, he placed the rabbit by the outdoor stove and opened the door.

"ONII-CHAN!" A scream reverberated throughout the house.

He quickly dropped his bow and quiver on the dining table before rushing to the sound of his sister's cry with his dagger drawn.

"ONII-CHAN HURRY UP!" The high pitched voice shouted with urgency.

Following the source, he stood with his back against the backdoor which lead to the well. Hearing the scuffling of feet, he pounced from his position, ready to slash at the perpetrator's vital points. However the only thing he saw was a fifteen year old girl with raven black hair crouching on the ground.

"What happened Aoi?! Did they hurt you?! How did they find this place?! Where are they?!" The string of questions rolled off his tongue.

The younger girl looked back at him with her crimson eyes in puzzlement, "they? There was no one here except you and me onii-chan! Anyway, hurry up and go bring a small jar!"

"What's with the shouting then? And why do you want a small jar?" The older boy let out an exasperated sigh and sheathed his dagger.

"Just get it will you! I spent a whole hour chasing this bug!"

Returning into the house, the young man took a glass jar from the drawers and handed it to his sister. Not bothering to see what kind of bug she had in her little jar, he returned to the front of the house and began to start a fire for dinner.

"What do you want to eat Aoi? Rabbit stew? Or Rabbit kebabs?"

"Stew please! Onii-chan look!" The young girl shoved the glass jar in her brother's face, "It's such a pretty beetle right?"

"You know Aoi, girls your age hate things with more than four legs. Why'd you go trap the poor lady bug for?" Brushing aside the jar in his face, he got up to take the rabbits and began to skin them.

"Cause they remind me of your eyes, and of the beads in your braid."

Aoi sat herself opposite her brother and put the jar up into the sky so that the sun's light could reflect of the beetle's hard surface. The young man instinctively touched the braid on the right side of his face. Each time his hair grew longer, he would cut it to the required length and began to re-braid it, along with the three emerald beads. After all this while, he could never bear to cut if off completely.

Snapping himself out of his trance, he tucked the braid behind his ear and got to work on their dinner.

"Onii-chan… something is about to happen… something that will change this peaceful times…" Aoi said in a trancelike manner.

The man stopped in his work and looked up at his sister who was looking at him with a glazed expression.

"I know Aoi. But there's nothing we can do. Hopefully the storm will pass us by." He looked up at the crimson read sky.

"Hopefully… but we are still pawns in this game… if the game comes to us, we have to choice to play it…"

* * *

It all happened with a bang, literally.

The scene before me was a sea of red. Blood dripped from the bodies of those slayed, the night's sky was painted red with the fire which was spewing out from the palace windows. People were screaming in pain and fear.

To me this was all irrelevant. I pushed my legs to run, my ears to shut out all those screams; all I had to do was to get her to safety, to get her out of this hellish place.

If only I believed what _he _had told me. If only I believed the previous time. All these would not have happened if I believed, if anyone believed him.

"Save the princesses! Get them to safety!" Voices rang throughout the palace walkways.

"Protect them at all cost. Protect them with your life men!" The young commander yelled at his men.

"RUKA!" The young commander, Akira Tonochi, shouted at his subordinate, halting me in my path. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard, then upon opening he shouted, "CATCH THIS!"

He threw a light purple stone in my direction. The stone smacked into my palm and I looked up at his superior, "PASS THAT TO HER! SHE'LL KNOW WHAT TO DO! KEEP HER SAFE!"

Immediately after, he dodged the attack of one of the masked man before promptly stabbing him in the stomach.

Turning on my heels, I urged my legs to run again, to make up for the time lost.

"_She has to be safe… hurry!"_

* * *

_**I hope this chapter has made some readers happy due to HIS appearance! Need I say more as to who it is? ^^**_

_**THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO REVIEWED! IT MADE ME REALLY HAPPY AND THE THOUGHT PROCESS FOR THE PLOT CAME MUCH SMOOTHER!**_

_**It will take about 10 days max for the next chapter to arrive! If I have more inspiration, it will come out faster, but for now, it'll be 10 days.**_

_**Now on to replies! (I will try to reply everyone so I'm sorry if you're name is not mentioned here!)**_

_**spica14: Thanks for the review! I try to make my stories as suspenseful as possible, though many of the readers don't like it cause of the many cliffhangers. Please bear with it and I promise you that this will be as good a fanfic as my previous one (if you've read it)!**_

_**adrienna22: I second you on that. When I created Luna for this role, I really wanted her to be hated. But she has her reasons. :) Yeah I was torn between revealing that much information of the characters or withholding them. Since I didn't want to drag on the beginning, there was that much info on them. But don't worry, I didn't reveal everything. :D**_

_**miko647635: Hm... you're the second reviewer to say that. haha! I'm sorry if it wasn't clear, the sword was calling out to Izumi. If you want to know why, I'll be happy to tell you in the next chapter or PM you if you really can't wait!**_

_**Lessthanthreeanime: haha I can somehow imagine you fangirling away when Natsume came in the story (i presume you're a girl, sorry if you arent'!). Yeah, there's a lot of stories with Luna as a love rival, but I feel she was more of Yuka's rival? :) Natsume's gonna meet Mikan next!**_

_**A Writer With Braces: THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMENT! Do hold on to your seat for more action! I'm sorry it takes a long time to unfold though, it's just that I like to be thorough. Yup, exactly! I love it when people review cause it shows that they care a lot and it's really inspiring to know that people support your fanfic! :D Keep reviewing!**_

_**His Lopsided Grin: Hello faithful reader! I noticed you read Enigma Sonata as well! :) I'm really hooked to the princess-era thing, so it's going to be a while before I write any other era. But with that said, it's a one of a kind story! Hope there's no errors!**_


	4. Chapter 3: Machibusu

**Chapter 3: Machibusu; Ambush**

Mikan was lightly sleeping when a loud bang awoke her. She shot straight out of bed and the first thing that greeted her was the orange glow behind the closed curtains. Pulling the covers off her legs, she grabbed the satin ribbon by her bedside and started the tie her hair up while walking to the curtains. Clutching the thick fabric, she pushed the curtain to the side and there was destruction everywhere. Houses were burning and below her, she saw the guards running out to the courtyard. Then a group of men dressed in black with the faces covered suddenly appeared and attacked the guards.

"IT'S AN AMBUSH! PROTECT THE ROYAL FAMILY!" A young guard shouted, but he had his throat slit by an unsuspecting enemy.

Mikan clutched her mouth tightly, preventing a scream from emitting as she saw the bloodshed. Moving backwards in fear, she tripped over her long nightgown and fell towards the ground. Despite all her training with the King's Guard, she did not prepare herself for the sight of death and bloodshed.

"Mikan-hime, you must be strong."

"You must regain your courage."

"Hime, you must remember what your father instructed."

Looking towards her study room, she saw the many figures standing in a line, urging her on. Some of the younger ones went up to her and stretched out her hand. Fear that once gripped her heart was soon replaced by warmth and courage.

Taking the small hands that were outstretched to her, she got to her feet and started packing essentials in the small knapsack. Stuffing a few shirts and pants, she quickly pinned on some broaches, which could be sold for money, to one of her shirts. Throwing off her nightgown, she slipped on the nearest clothes that her hand reached, which was a dark brown cotton dress.

"_According to my experiences, it would take another 10 minutes for them to reach this corner of the palace."_

She placed the knapsack by the window and threw open her bedroom door. Running as fast as she could to Sumire's room, she reached the cream-coloured door and barged in.

Sumire was staring out of her own window, petrified in fear and horror. Upon hearing her room door slam against the wall, she turned around and was about to scream but Mikan quickly placed her hand over her sister's mouth.

"Hush, if you scream, you'll only lead them here faster. Otou-san has designed this wing such that it would take perpetrators a while to reach us."

Feeling Sumire relax in her arms, she slowly released her hand.

"What are we going to do now?" Sumire looked at her older sister fear.

"We have to do what otou-san instructed us. We are going to get the sword." Mikan replied firmly while packing a few articles of clothing into a knapsack she found in Sumire's closet.

Once the sentence registered in Sumire's head, she immediately shot back, "Are you mad?! It will take us right across the main hall to reach otou-san's study! We will be killed before we even step one foot in that cave!"

After tightening the straps of the bag close, Mikan swung it over her shoulders and looked at her sister. "We have to get it at all cost. All that freedom that is given to me by you mother is going to be paid off. Get changed into something that allows more movement, I'll drop this off at my room because that's how we'll be making our exit. Be quick, I'll be back in a minute."

With that, Mikan dashed back to her room and placed the bag beside her own. Pulling on her riding boots, she looked to her study room as she was called out to.

"Be careful hime. Please be safe." One of the small girls whispered.

An older boy appeared and bowed low, "take me Mikan-hime, you will need my services." Then another smaller boy appeared and bowed similarly, "you will need me as well hime, to find the book."

Smilling warmly, she stood up and instructed the two boys to follow her.

"The rest of you, you know what to do, there will not be time when I get back." Looking at the rest of the people in her room, they nodded and silently prayed for her safety.

Mikan dashed back to Sumire's room and once seeing that she was changed to a dark green muslin dress, she grabbed her step-sister's hands and ran towards her father's study. However instead of going straight at the main staircase, Mikan made a sharp right and the both of them were face to face with the large family painting. Placing her hand behind the painting, Mikan pulled with all her strength and the large portrait moved a little, allowing for both the princesses to slip in.

"I'll take it from here Hime" the younger boy whispered and a soft blue light appeared before Mikan. Sumire who was following behind suddenly saw a light and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Why is there suddenly a light?" Sumire asked while jogging behind Mikan.

Firmly holding on to Sumire's hand, Mikan lied, "it's… just a feature of this passageway."

Somewhat satisfied with the answer, it suddenly hit Sumire, _"how does Mikan know these passageways, even I didn't know about them despite living here for the same number of years as her." _She voiced out her thought.

"I've explored the palace when my presence isn't needed. With the freedom your mother _bestowed _on me, I took the liberty of finding out things that were not on the palace's blueprint." Mikan emphasised with a tinge of sarcasm. "We're nearly there and we have to hurry. The perpetrators will reach our room in 5 minutes."

The blue light suddenly stopped in front of the backing of another portrait and with the help of Sumire, both of them were able to push the heavy painting out of the way. Looking around to ensure no one was around, they rushed to their father's study room.

"FIND THEM AT ALL COST! I WANT THEM ALIVE!" A strong baritone voice rang through the halls.

"_Crap it's locked!"_

The older boy placed his hand on the doorknob and the lock sprang backwards. Looking at the older boy, Mikan nodded her thanks and locked the door behind her once Sumire was pulled inside. Both of them let out a sigh of relief before facing the numerous books before them. Once again, the older boy floated to the bookshelf and pulled out the correct book slightly.

"Hurry Mikan-hime, you have a few minutes left." The older boy urged before disappearing.

Mikan lifted her hand towards the book and pulled down hard. Once the bookshelf moved out of place, she ran down the stairs and finally reached the boulder with Kami's sword.

"… _you're… here… release… me…"_

The eerie voice echoed in both Sumire's and Mikan's head.

"You heard that right?" Sumire shuddered with fear.

Mikan nodded but pushed the fear out of her head.

"… _release me… now…"_

Taking her sister's hand within her own, both of them rushed towards the sword.

"… _hurry…"_

"You should hurry and pull the sword out Mikan." Sumire said while pushing her sister towards the boulder.

Placing both hands on the sword, Mikan summoned all her strength and withdrew the sword. Unlike the last time, the sword was much heavier and Sumire saw her sister struggling to remove it from its seal. She stepped forward to try and help her sister, but the memory of her being unable to draw the sword out the last time stopped her in her tracks.

"… _hurry… must be… freed…"_

"_But I can't. I couldn't the last time."_

"… _help… her… danger… approaching…"_

Mikan felt as though she was pulling the sword through some kind of vacuum. With every two inches the sword was removed, it would be pulled back into the seal by an inch. She knew time was running out, if she did not remove the sword soon, they would reach her father's room and kill him in his own bed.

Urging all the muscles in her arm to work, she heaved as hard as she could and the sword was halfway out of its seal. Beads of sweat trickled down her brow and an explosion went off above their head. The whole cave shook and Mikan almost lost her footing, causing the sword to return to its original position, if not for Sumire.

Using her body, she supported Mikan's slipping foot while both her hands were on the upper half of the hilt.

"No time to be dropping stuff. Let's get this over and done with!" Sumire spoke and together with Mikan, they took a deep breath before pulling the sword out.

Once the sword was free, both girls stumbled backwards due to the unbalance force and the sword clambered on the ground with a loud sound. As they were getting to their feet, the sword started to glow a bright green and both girls closed their eyes due to the brightness. A strong gust of wind entered the cave and encircled the sword.

As soon as the wind died down, they opened their eyes and the sword had transformed into two swords. Unlike its previous appearance of a western sword, there sitting on the floor was a katana and its pair, a wakizashi.

"_Mikan-hime, please take me, the katana."_

"_Sumire-hime, please take me the wakizashi."_

Walking towards their instructed swords, they picked up their respective swords.

"_I have split myself into two as the two of you pulled me out together, but we will save the introductions for later. Please hurry back to Izumi-san."_

Despite being a few feet below the ground, what rang through the cave next made both Mikan's and Sumire's blood ran ice cold.

"THEY HAVE BROKEN INTO THE ROYAL FAMILY'S QUARTERS!"

* * *

"THEY HAVE BROKEN INTO THE ROYAL FAMILY'S QUARTERS!"

"_Crap crap! Run faster you damn legs!"_

Ruka cursed his legs as he avoided the tenth perpetrator which was trying to hack him down. Before all this, he was glad that Mikan's room was placed in such a complicated maze and walking her back to her room each day was a joy for him. However, when time is of the essence, like now, he hated the design of the corridors.

With his sword drawn out, he slashed with a deadly accuracy at the man's jugular artery.

"_Eagle-san, I need you to be stationed outside Mikan-sama's window in 2 minutes."_ Ruka mentally instructed his partner before turning the corner and reaching the king's bedroom door. The door was smashed down and from within he could hear the sounds of swords clashing against each other. Seeing that they were preoccupied with the King and that Mikan's room was of some distance, he rushed into the room and stabbed the man clad in black nearest to him.

Within a few seconds, Ruka had killed 5 men and he saw the Izumi-sama huffing from the strain of the sword in his hand.

"Your highness!" Ruka rushed over to the huffing king. He looked around the room and saw Luna's lifeless body hanging off the bed, her throat slashed and her eyes wide with shock.

The second commander of the King's Guard, Shuichi Sakurano, flicked the blood off his rapier and addressed the younger boy.

"What are you doing here? Protect Mikan-hime at all cost, wasn't that what you swore? Why are you here?" The pair of grey eyes belonging to the commander bore down the soul of Ruka.

"I…" Ruka began his explanation but Izumi stopped him.

"Ruka, promise me that you will keep Mikan and Sumire safe at all times. If one of them falls, everything will be for naught. Promise me Ruka Nogi!" Izumi commanded.

Startled by the fire in the king's eyes, any image of him smiling immediately disappeared. Ruka had never seen the King so furious in his life.

"I swear upon my life." Ruka proudly said while helping Izumi up.

"Good, whatever happens here, you must bring the both of them to see 'The Voice of God'. Now go to her." Izumi shoved the boy out of the room before a man in black swung in from the window and stabbed Izumi in the back.

"NO!" Sakurano shouted.

The masked man merely laughed out loud, "your wish Alice was nothing in the end commander Shuichi. You failed to protect your king."

Ruka turned back to see Izumi drop to the ground lifeless with his eyes glazed with shock.

Sakurano was silently furious and the perpetrator's head rolled on the ground within a few seconds. "Damn you traitor, how's that for a wish. Rot in hell." The furious commander spat at the dead body while the other King's Guard stared in shock either at their dead king or at the head rolling around on the floor.

A shrill scream pierced the tensed silence and Ruka's head whipped to the source of the sound. Standing over the two princesses' were a group of three men outside Izumi's bedroom. Two of them had grabbed the princesses' hair while the third stood brandishing his sword in the air.

Anger rippled through Ruka's body and with the speed of light, he slashed down the three men.

"Hime-sama, are you two all right?" He asked before helping both to their feet.

A little shaken, Mikan stood on her wobbly legs but Sumire was paralysed with fear, tears streaming out of her eyes. Both had never seen a life taken before them and it would amount to nightmares. Looking into the room, Mikan saw her father on the ground with his eyes wide open.

"Otou-san… OTOU-SAN!" She ran towards her father's corpse but was stopped by Sakurano.

"Let me go…" Mikan sobbed, unable to control her tears, "I COMMAND YOU TO LET ME GO!" She struggled to break free of the commander's strong hold.

Ruka picked up Sumire in a bridal style, but she too caught a glimpse at her father's and mother's corpses despite Ruka's efforts to shield her from it.

"LET ME GO!" Mikan screamed.

"Otou-san… Okaa-san…" Sumire mumbled to herself.

Grabbing Mikan by the shoulders, Sakurano forced Mikan to look at his grey eyes. "You can't go to him."

"I don't care! Let me go!" Mikan struggled with a greater force.

"NO!" His loud voiced silenced Mikan. Calming down, he levelled himself to her eye level, "you have to get out of here, both you and your sister. Staying here is suicide. You were entrusted with something to do weren't you?"

Mikan struggled to breathe and nodded. The young commander stroked Mikan's chestnut locks.

"You have to finish your mission. I have to finish mine. Go now, hurry before more of them arrive." Sakurano pushed Mikan towards Ruka.

The sound of clashing armour and swords grew nearer and the entire ground looked at the only staircase leading to the Royal Quarters.

"I'll hold them off. Get them to safely to _him_, Ruka. We're counting on you. He's the only one whom we can trust now and he'll know what to do." Sakurano patted Ruka on the back before instructing the remaining men to follow him.

"Good luck Ruka. Good luck hime-sama." The other men wished the trio and proudly walked with their commanding officer.

Seeing the backs of his comrades walk away, Ruka spoke up, "Let's go Mikan-sama. We have to escape."

Walking briskly, they soon reached Mikan's bedroom and there perched on the balcony was the great eagle.

"_Ruka-sama, we should hurry, I saw some men on the roof but I've already taken care of them."_

Ruka placed Sumire on the eagle's back, "please hold on tight to his neck Sumire-hime." Grabbing the knapsacks by the window, he tore the curtain and strung it through the bags, then tied it to the eagle's neck.

Sumire felt the warmth of the animal and checked that the wakizashi was securely fastened within her boot. Placing her arms around the great beast, she hugged him and cried out.

"Hurry Mikan-hime!" Ruka urged his mistress.

Light reflected off the smooth surface of the katana's blade in Mikan's hand. Failing to notice before, he saw Mikan grab a piece of cloth and wrapped the sword within it. Winding the curtain cord around the cloth, Mikan swung the sword behind her back.

"Wait Ruka!" Mikan whispered with urgency as Ruka was literally pulling her towards the eagle.

"_We are ready Mikan-hime."_

Mikan dashed from the balcony towards her study and grabbed the velvet pouch which was sitting on the bookshelf. Fastening the belt round her waist, she checked that the pouch was securely shut before running out to the balcony. Ruka hoisted her up on the eagle before an arrow whizzed past his ear.

The eagle screeched in shock.

"_Hurry Ruka-sama! If arrows start raining down on us, it'll be difficult to fly."_

Ruka quickly mounted the eagle and urged it to fly. He grabbed hold to the feathers in front of him and they soared into the sky. Another arrow whizzed past his face and grazed it slightly.

"_Hold on!"_

The eagle gracefully swopped past each arrow being shot and if it could, he would grab a man with its talons and swing him to another target.

"_Fly into the clouds!" _Ruka instructed and the eagle soared even higher, taking refuge within the clouds. Below them, a sea of red was seen and both princesses wept their hearts out at the lost of their loved ones.

* * *

_One week later_

Natsume eyed the pair of rabbits on the ground a few metres away from him.

"_Am I going to be lucky like the last time?"_

He crouched and balanced on the balls of his feet. Drawing the string of the bow backwards, he felt the tension of the entire bow. One of the rabbits stood on its hind legs and its ears twitched nervously, picking up sounds of its hunter.

Natsume held his breathe, his arm straining with the tension. However as he was just about to release the arrow, the rabbits ran away and he grumbled frustratedly.

"_This is getting annoying; it's the third time this has happened. If this continues on, we'll be eating greens for a LONG while."_

Relaxing, he replaced the arrow in its quiver and swung the bow around his back.

"_It's been just too damn noisy lately. What's been going around in the capital?"_

Suddenly his ears picked up the sound of someone stepping on a nice crunch dried leaf.

"_Ruffians again. You're hella noisy if you want to take someone by surprise."_

He pretended to be oblivious of the person's presence but as soon as they were within arm's length, Natsume immediately withdrew his dagger and pressed the perpetrator against the tree behind him, knife at his throat.

"_Wait correct that, __**her**__ throat."_

Before him, stood a girl around his age, her hazelnut brown eyes widen with fear. He quickly gave her a quick scan and noted that she was wearing a shirt that was twice her size and her shoes were muddied to an unrecognisable state. However, with all that tardiness, her hair was braided loosely and held together with an orange satin ribbon.

"_Hmph, someone of status."_

"Please don't hurt me, I mean no harm!" The girl whimpered at the pressure of the dagger against her throat.

Pressing a little harder against her throat, Natsume growled, "give me a reason _not_ to."

* * *

**_Sorry for the long awaited update! As compensation, here's another chapter! Replies will be done in the following chapter as well! :)_**

**_For those who are unsure, both the katana and the wakizashi are a pair. In feudal Japan, the wearing of both swords indicated that one was a samurai. The katana is the long sword while the wakizashi is the companion sword, together they're known as the daisho, or literally big-little. If you want to know more, just wiki wakizashi._**


	5. Chapter 4: Sogu

**_Yay! Two chapter updates in a week! Once again, this is compensation for the slow update and I might not be able to update next week. Please enjoy!_  
**

**_The inspiration of the initial parts of this fanfic came from Peacewish, who wrote my all time favourite CCS fanfic: Heir to the throne. I have used the basic idea, but the dialogue and the missions has been changed._**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Sogu; Encounter**

"What are you doing here, on my land?" Natsume hissed at the girl.

"I, we, need to find someone. Please just let me go, I'm just passing through." The girl looked pleadingly at him.

"Tch, I didn't know ruffians and thieves were so sophisticated with their lies now." Natsume was not going to fall for some soap opera tale. Staring into her eyes, a feeling of familiarity stirred within him. He has seen her before. "You mentioned we, where are the rest of your gang?"

She shifted her eyes to the side, his crimson eyes were really piercing and if she stared at them, she felt as if she would burn.

The interrogation was cut short when a galloping could be heard from afar.

"Tch." The day couldn't get any better for Natsume. He turned back to look at the girl but saw her face drained of its colour.

"Please…" the brown haired girl whispered, "I can't be caught here, not now. We've come so far."

Natsume stared at the girl for signs that she was just using the coming commotion as a diversion, but seeing how she was so fearful, he sheathed his dagger.

"Argh, this is such a pain." He ruffled his hair and loosened some strands of hair that was tied up in a loose half pony tail. He crouched down and pressed his ear to the ground in order to identify where the horses were coming from.

Standing up, Natsume clutched his hands together.

The brown haired girl looked at him with a puzzled look.

"Can you hurry up, they'll be here soon. I'll hoist you up the tree." Natsume said in an annoyed tone.

"Oh… all right." The brown haired girl looked at the hands then ran towards the clutched hands before being hoisted up into the tree.

"_A little light for a girl."_

"Remain quiet." He instructed and within seconds, a group of 4 men galloped towards him.

Dressed in royal blue uniforms, Natsume noted that they were from the military in the capital.

"The uniform hasn't changed much."

"You there, peasant, have you seen a girl with brown hair, around 16 years old?" The leader spat at Natsume.

Alarm bells began ringing in his head, _"she fits that description."_

"Answer your superior scum!" The man beside him raised his voice in a threatening manner.

Already annoyed that he lost his hunt and had to help a strange girl, the barking order snapped any remaining patience within him.

"Look here, sir…" Natsume began.

"Lieutenant to be exact," The second man clarified.

Natsume rolled out his eyes in frustration. "_Lieutenant_… this place is far from the capital. There are very few travelers to this part of the kingdom. The last time I saw someone, it was a month ago, and those were bandits, all men, running away with someone's valuables. Out here, there are no women, the conditions are too harsh as you would have noticed, the only piece of greenery stretches for 5km. If you have so much time looking for a good time, why don't you do something about the rising number of bandits who use this as a pass to the other kingdoms?"

The second man drew his sword ready to strike the raven haired boy but was stopped by his officer. Natsume did not flinch in fear but stared back in defiance. His words had truth in them and if they hit him, they would not get anything out from it.

"Sheath your sword." The officer told off his subordinate. He stared back at the young man and asked again, "are you sure you have not seen such a girl? She could have slipped past. Lying to a commanding officer is treason."

"Oh, the laws have changed drastically, treason now for lying huh?" Natsume retorted. "I have not seen such a person, as I have said before, I have not seen _anyone_ here for a month."

The officer looked for signs of the boy lying, but deep down he knew that she could not have gotten far especially since they were travelling in a group of three. It was true that the conditions out here were inhabitable unless one was trained for survival.

Gripping the reigns in anger and gritting his teeth, the officer barked out an order, "Move out, she's not here." Then digging his heels into his horse, they turned back to the direction they were riding from.

Once they disappeared out of sight, Natsume picked up his quiver of arrows and started walking away.

Mikan seeing the raven haired boy walk away, swung herself down from the tree and hurried after the young man.

"Wait!" She called out to him and he spun round, obviously very _very _irritated.

"I've done as you've asked, could you get off my land? I'm in a bad mood."

"Thank you." She wheezed. The days of not eating was beginning to catch up with her. "One more favour please?"

Natsume saw that she was breathing very heavily, did he walk that far within that few steps? "What is it?" One more request and he could be free from this annoying woman.

"Do you know a person named Natsume, Natsume Hyuuga?" She placed her hands on her knees and looked to the ground, trying to stop it from spinning.

"It depends on who is looking for him."

"I am."

"Who are you per se? He doesn't know everyone from their looks you know." Natsume retorted.

Mikan struggled to keep her vision as it slowly clouded and darkened. She tried shaking her head but it felt so heavy.

"I… I am…" She struggled to push her voice out of her throat, "Mikan… Yuki…hira…"

Mikan collapsed to the ground unconscious.

"Oi! That's a really bad joke." Natsume knelt beside her to check her pulse.

"_Shit, it's weak. How am I to know whether she's lying or not? Anyone can claim to be the princess of this kingdom and why are the guards looking for her? Her satin ribbon already indicates she's of nobility and if what she said was true, then she is the princess. Why are they looking for her?"_

Slinging the quiver of arrows around his back, he supported her back and with his free hand, pushed her hair out of her face, getting his fingers caught between the strands. Pulling his hand out, he had undone her braid and beneath the satin ribbon, was the proof he needed for her identity.

There staring back at him, was the small braid that was similar to his. However, unlike his, beneath the satin ribbon was the golden bead with the royal insignia that only the royal family could wear.

"_This girl is really the princess of Nuru?!"_

Stuffing the ribbon into his pocket, Natsume placed his right hand under her knees and lifted her.

"_She is really too light, how long is it since she's eaten something? But why on earth is she doing out here in this desolated place?"_

Natsume jogged as fast as he could back towards his cottage, with a million questions popping up in his head.

* * *

Once the little cottage was in sight, Ruka let out a sigh of relief. The three of them had been travelling close to non-stop for the past week in order to reach Natsume's home. However, due to both princesses never venturing further than the capital, it was a little difficult for them to keep up with him.

Various town people were generous enough to offer them shelter and some food during the week, but more was wary of the three of them. The commotion at the palace had set the whole kingdom on its edge and there was an increase in the number of guards patrolling while looking for them. As soon as they had left the palace and the fighting ceased, news of a temporary ruler was announced and the identity of the mastermind was revealed.

"_**King Izumi's rule has ended. People of Nuru, your new ruler as decided by the council and ministers would be General Kuonji. Please welcome him."**_

_The announcer loudly proclaimed in the city square and after the brief introduction, General Kuonji walked onto the small platform._

"_Good people of Nuru, it saddens me greatly that King Izumi's reign was short, but change is inevitable. Please do not do anything that would garner you a stay in the dungeons. Carry on with your daily work." _

_Sumire was in disbelief that her own uncle would be the one to massacre her parents. General Kuonji was Luna's cousin and when Sumire was younger, he would always stop by to see his niece. Not willing to believe that her kind and generous relative turned against the royal family, she sat in denial, demanding to be taken to see her uncle until a guard almost killed her._

_Ruka shoved the dead guard aside and wipe his blade clean, then kneeling down so that he was at eye level with Sumire, he spoke, "Sumire-hime, I know it is hard for you to accept all this, but your uncle has abandoned you. If he could order the murder of your mother, he would do the same to you. Let's go, we have to find Natsume-san."_

Pushing the slipping Sumire-hime further up his back, Mikan and him walked to the closed door.

"Who is he Ruka?" Mikan inquired as they made their way to the door.

Ruka thought for a while, wondering how he should introduce Mikan to him, "He's… a good friend. I haven't seen him in 5 years. He'll be a little gruff."

"Why haven't you seen him for so many years?"

"His story is his to tell. We're here, could you please knock on the door?"

Mikan lifted her hands towards the door and gave it a quick knock. After hearing nothing, Mikan was told to knock again.

"Hm… he's probably not in. Maybe he's hunting." Ruka voiced his thoughts out loud.

Pressing her ear to the door, Mikan heard the shuffling of furniture.

"If he's not in, then who's inside moving the furniture?"

Putting Sumire down on the ground, Ruka asked Mikan to stay with her sister. Ruka knew that this area was used as a pass for many bandits to enter into the other kingdoms and they had probably thought of robbing Natsume. He drew his sword and kicked down the door. However, he did not see anyone within the small cottage.

"Who are you?! What are you doing in our house?!" The raven haired girl screamed at Ruka. However, Ruka's eyes were not fixed on her and was looking around the whole house. "HEY! It's rude to ignore someone when they're right in front of you!"

Sumire stirred from her sleep and the pain from her left ankle returned. She had sprained it while on the way to this cottage.

"Where are we?" She slurred.

"At Natsume-san's house." Mikan replied her sister while wiping the beads of sweat away from her forhead.

"And Ruka?"

"He's investigating the house. We heard noises but Natsume-san is apparently not in."

Upon hearing another girl's voice, Mikan's head turned to see Ruka towering over a smaller girl. She got up and walked into the house.

"If you continue to ignore me, I am going to kick you!" The raven haired girl stomped her foot on the ground.

Giggling at the apparent frustration of the girl around her age, Mikan spoke up, "he can't see you."

The girl turned and looks at her, revealing her crimson red eyes. "Who says he can't see me?! He's been standing there like a fool for the past few minutes." She was clueless.

"Er… Mikan-hime, who are you talking to?" Ruka sheathed his sword and turned to face Mikan.

"There's a girl my age, raven hair, crimson eyes, behind you." Mikan pointed.

Turning around and trying to pinpoint the girl, Ruka responded, "Oh… she's…"

"Yup." Mikan nodded.

Ruka could faintly see the outline of the girl but could not hear what she was saying.

"I am a what?! You know it's rude to speak of someone as if they're not here." The crimson eyed girl interjected.

"Sorry. Do you not know that you are… an alice stone?" Mikan hesitated before asking.

"That… how… how do you know?" The girl wore a mixture of amazement and shock on her face.

"I can see you true natures, always had since young."

"Hm… all right then I believe you. Who are you?"

"I am Mikan Yukihira, this standing here is my bodyguard, Ruka Nogi and the lady outside is my sister Sumire Yukihira. We're looking for your brother; do you know where he is?"

"Onii-chan is out hunting. You'll find him in the grassland. My name is Aoi by the way." Smoothing down the apron that she was wearing, the broken door hanging by its hinges caught her eyes as they widened in horror, "Besides that, we need to fix the door before he's back or he'll start complaining!"

The smaller girl rushed to the back and began looking for the planks of wood that they kept.

"Ruka, I'll go find Natsume-san, you stay here and help Aoi fix the door. She seems to have ran off to the back for the extra wood."

"I'll go look for him, it's dangerous to be out there alone." Ruka insisted.

Mikan tried persuading Ruka, "If you look for him, who's going to fix the door? Let's not make Natsume-san angry especially since we're need a favor from him. I can defend myself and we haven't passed anyone here."

Ruka pondered for a while before Aoi's shrill voice interrupted the silence, "Erm… Mikan-chan… I need some help carrying the wood."

"Aoi-chan needs some help. Try explaining that you can't hear her and she might understand why you were ignoring her. I'll leave this in your care." Mikan pulled the katana over her head and handed it to Ruka.

Ruka placed the sword over his own back and went out to help Aoi carry in the wood.

She ran out and helped support Sumire into the house.

"I'm going to find Natsume-san Sumire, try not to move your leg so much. Here, hold this, it'll help ease the pain." Mikan unhooked the pouch with the Alice stones and opened it, giving her a light pink stone.

"I didn't know you had so many alice stones… thanks Mikan." Sumire said while clutching on the pink stone. Immediately the pain in her ankle began to subside and she drifted off into sleep for the pain was draining a lot of energy from her.

"Take care of her." Mikan instructed.

"Yes mistress."

Upon returning to the front door, Ruka placed the planks of wood on the ground and saw a figure of Aoi bound up to him.

"Erm… Aoi-san, I can't hear you but I can sort of make out your outline. Is it possible for you to show me to a bed? Sumire-hime here needs to elevate her foot." Ruka asked the girl.

Straining his eyes to see what Aoi was doing, he knew that she was complaining but she motioned for him to follow her. Ruka went over to the dining table to carry Sumire. Skipping past the dining room, she turned left and showed him the room with two beds. She then pointed to the one which had a light pink bed cover and Ruka laid Sumire on the bed.

As soon as he laid her down, a small knife fell out from the sleeve of her blouse and it clattered to the ground. Bending down to pick it up, Ruka was suddenly stung by a bolt of electricity. Noting that it was a wakizashi with a similar pattern to the one Mikan was carrying, Ruka grit his teeth and endured the shocks of electricity before placing it beside Sumire's pillow.

* * *

When Natsume finally reached his house, the sight of the front door being open made his heart pound even faster.

"_Crap, did those stupid guards break into my house?!"_

The girl in his arms began fidgeting in his arms and the heat from her body was searing into his hands.

"_Hold on, we're almost there…"_

He placed her in the shade and drew his dagger. His senses began to heighten as he kept his back against the outer wall of his cottage. Surveying the ground, he saw three pairs of footprints. One of them exited the home, but two of them never did.

"_So there's two of them."_

He then heard hammering against wood.

"_If those idiots destroy my house, they're going to get it."_

Jumping in through the front door, his blade immediately met another and he stared into familiar blue eyes.

"Natsume?"

"Ruka?"

The two men looked at each other before lowering their swords. Natsume took a step back to take in a fuller picture, behind Ruka was his front door which he was repairing, and hiding behind the dining table was Aoi and slumped on the table was another girl with dark green hair.

"Nii-chan!" Aoi sprang out from her position as soon as she saw him.

"Aoi, go boil a pot of water, I'm going to make stew now. And, go prepare a bowl of water and a clean towel." Natsume said coolly before turning around, ignoring Ruka's presence.

He left the house and picked up the brown haired princess, who was starting to regain consciousness.

Ruka put down the hammer in his other hand and sheathed his own sword. "Where did you… Mikan-hime!" Ruka ran towards Natsume. "What happened to her?! Is she injured?!"

Natsume ignored his panicking friend, he quickly carried her to the bedroom and when he opened the door, he saw another girl with green hair on his sister's bed. Laying her down on his own bed, he touched her forehead and confirmed that she was having a fever. Sweating profusely, Natsume knew that he had to get some food into her system and cool off her fever before her body started to shut down.

"Natsume! What happened to Mikan-hime?!"

Walking out from the room, he pointed to Sumire and asked, "who's that?"

Ruka turned toward the direction Natsume was pointing in and replied, "Sumire Yukihira."

"The other princess?"

"What's with these princesses and their ailments?" Natsume remarked before closing the door.

"They've been having a hard time." Ruka whipered.

Natsume looked at his friend and let out a sigh, "She's undernourished and is suffering from exhaustion. The fever has already kicked in, so we need to get some food into her system."

Walking past his friend, Natsume entered the store room and began slicing up the dried rabbit meat from the week before.

"Nii-chan, the pot with water is boiling outside. What do I do with this bowl?" Aoi asked her brother.

"Go to the bedroom and clean up the wounds of those two girls, an infection would occur if they're not taken care of. Thanks Aoi." Natsume instructed and his sister ran off to the room.

All Ruka could see were a bowl and a towel floating in mid-air before entering the room which Mikan and Sumire were sleeping in.

"Your sister's been very lively." Ruka tried to break the silence between them.

"Hmph."

Ruka knew it would be difficult to get Natsume to return to friendly terms with him. Keeping the guilt within his heart, Ruka never forgave himself, but this was not a time to be feeling guilty.

"What happened to those two? Why aren't you feeding them properly since they're royalty?" Natsume finally spoke up after throwing the meat into the pot and returning to chop the carrots and potatos.

Moving to the empty seat, Ruka picked up one of the carrots and began to chop them up.

"You didn't hear the news?" Ruka asked.

"What news?"

"The king, Izumi-sama and his concubine, Luna-sama, have been murdered. Those two princesses are now wanted by the mastermind of the assault. The whole kingdom is in chaos, no one dares to oppose him and if they do, they're either thrown in the dungeon or executed on the spot. It's been hard, trying to avoid all the guards and fine shelter. Not many people want to run the risk of harbouring wanted people. " Ruka explained.

Natsume got up and threw the chopped carrots into the pot. Returning to his seat, he asked "So I assume those guys from the military want them back?"

"They came here!?" Ruka stood up in paranoia.

Natsume looked at his blonde haired friend. 5 years has passed but yet he still reacts the same ways as he does when he was younger.

"I deterred them in their tracks. They returned to where they were coming from. So, they want both princesses back?" Natsume prodded.

"More specifically, they need Mikan-hime to secure his position as new king. Sumire is more like a spare tire, they want her disposed of."

"Who's the new king?"

"General Kuonji, Sumire's uncle."

Natsume paused midway in his chopping. _"So that damn bastard is the new king…"_

"Nice screwed up family, the royal family I mean. Family members kill each other, what's new?" Natsume spat.

Ruka knew that Natsume did not particularly have high regards for the royal family, but he knew that Natsume detested Kuonji.

"We need your help…" Ruka trailed off.

Natsume's blood was boiling. He hated the royal family, he hated Kuonji even more. His entire life was turned upside down because of them. Why should he help them when they were the one who placed him in this position?

"Why?" Natsume growled.

"I don't have the training in being a scout like you and we need to move silently. Both princesses have been tasked by their father to seek out 'The Voice of God'. You're the only one with the connections, the information and the skills to do something like this." Ruka pleaded.

Staring back at his friend, Natsume clenched his fist and sat down. Taking a deep breathe, he held it in and counted to ten. Then out of nowhere, he suddenly felt a surge in power.

"… _answer me…"_

Natsume's eyes shot open and it immediately narrowed down to the package Ruka was carrying on his back.

"What's in the cloth Ruka?" Natsume indicated to the sword.

Ruka removed the sword from his back and laid it on the table. "It's a katana. Mikan's been carrying it around since the assault happened." He slowly unwrapped the piece of cloth and the sword sat on the table in its full beauty.

Eying it suspiciously, Natsume cautiously brought his hand nearer to it.

"… _protect… darkness…"_

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ruka warned, "I got electrocuted the last time."

Natsume was entranced by the sword not because of its looks, but rather it was talking to him. Laying his hand on the sword, he did not experience the electrical shock that Ruka was describing and this caused Ruka to be awed.

Removing his hand from the katana, he wrapped it up and pushed it towards Ruka. "Keep it." Then he returned to chop up the potatoes.

Ruka was obviously puzzled by his friend's reaction to the sword and yet amazed that the sword did not attack him in defense. Sitting there thinking of a way to convince him to help them, Natsume finished chopping up the potatoes and threw them in the pot which was beginning to smell good.

Returning to the house, Natsume found the door fully repaired and all he needed to do was to place it back in its hinges. Gathering his strength, he attempted to lift the heavy door.

"You're still the same Natsume, forever unwilling to ask for help." Ruka got up from his seat and took up position beside Natsume. Together the both of them returned the door in its hinges and the stew was cooked.

Mumbling a word of thanks, Natsume urged Ruka to go stay by the princesses as he attended to dinner.

Once Ruka left, Natsume allowed his thoughts to stray to what the sword told him.

"_Darkness is entering this world once again. Protect my mistress, protect the savior. Listen to your heart, listen to 'The Voice of God'."_

Entering the kitchen to grab two bowls and spoons, Natsume scooped two generous helpings of the soup and walked into the bedroom.

Without knocking, he entered the room and Sumire was already awake.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Natsume-san." Sumire bowed her head while Aoi was tending to her superficial cuts.

"Wake her up, she needs to eat now." Natsume instructed Ruka.

Ruka gently shook Mikan awake, "Mikan-hime, please wake up, you need to eat."

Aoi began propping the pillows behind Sumire and Natsume passed her the bowl of stew. "Eat and after you're done, get some rest."

He then stood by the door and watched both the princesses.

Aoi wanted to feed Sumire, but she shook her head and took the bowl from her hands. "Thank you Aoi, you've helped a lot. Please rest yourself." The raven haired girl bowed and got up to clear the bowl of water which was now a dirty red.

Mikan tried her hardest to open her eyes but they felt like lead. Her whole body felt like it was on fire.

"Ruka… where am I?" Mikan whispered.

"We're in Natsume's home. Here," Ruka propped the pillow behind her, urging her to sit up before cooling down a spoonful of stew. "Eat this, you need your strength."

"What about Natsume-san, how are we going to ask him? What if he says he won't help us? What if he turns us over to Kuonji's guards?" Mikan rambled on and on.

Finally able to open her eyes, she saw Ruka looking at her with great concern. Turning her head to the side, she saw Sumire eating quietly and she smiled at Mikan. Looking past Ruka's head, she saw Natsume. Blushing a deep colour of red, she realized that he had heard every word that she had spoken. Finally able to take a good look at him, she noted that he was the same age as Ruka and was relatively well-built. Like his sister, his crimson eyes stood out amongst his facial features.

"I won't turn you into the authorities."

"Thank you very much Natsume-san." Mikan nodded her head in embarrassment and thanks.

"Eat and thank me later." Natsume grunted.

Ruka brought the spoonful of food to her mouth and she ate quietly.

"What about you Ruka? Have you eaten?" Sumire asked as she finished her own bowl.

"I will when you two are done." Ruka replied.

Natsume walked up to Sumire and took the bowl from her hands. "Do you want another bowl?"

Sumire shyly shook her head.

"Then go and sleep. Your ankle would be well soon, since that little girl is helping you." Natsume used his head to indicate the 6 year old child sleeping beside Sumire on the bed.

"You can see her?" Mikan and Sumire said at the same time.

Taken aback by the loud shouting, Natsume answered, "yeah. She has this pink outline around her, much like my sister has this reddish one."

"So you can see the true natures of Alice stones…" Mikan mumbled.

Mikan continued eating in silence while Sumire fell back asleep. The 6 year old child awoke once she felt the bed move and she held Sumire's hand before falling to sleep as well.

Once MIkan was down with her own food, her eyelids automatically closed shut and she drifted off into sleep. Ruka stood up and covered Mikan with the blanket. Turning to Sumire, he too made sure she was comfortable in her own bed before he walked past Natsume and placed the bowls in the sink.

After a long period of silence, Natsume spoke up, "Ruka, I'll help you."

"Why the sudden change in mind?" Ruka inquired.

"Because without me, you'll never know who 'The Voice of God' is."

* * *

**_Please please review! There was a drop in the number of reviews for chapter 3 and I was a little sad. :(_**

**_But nonetheless, thank you to those who favourited this fanfic and here are the replies to the wonderful people who reviewed!_**

**_spica14: Yup, the person that I was referring to was Natsume. He's someone whom they cannot speak openly of hence the secrecy. You'll know why later in the story!_**

**_Lessthanthreeanime: haha, the two of them have finally met! Love it or hate it?_**

**_gabsterela: Hihi! All three of them can hear it! Mikan and Sumire can hear more of the words being spoken though. :)_**


	6. Chapter 5: Omoide

_**READER WARNING: The following chapter may contain disturbing scenes regarding gore, violence and potential rape. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**_

_**Other than that, do enjoy.**_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Omoide; Memories**

Misaki hid behind the crates and occasionally looked at the grand manor across the busy road. Catching sight of the royal blue army uniform, she pulled her body back behind the crates.

"Search every alley! If the princesses escape from this kingdom, I will make sure you head rolls!" The commander shouted at his troops.

"Yes sir!" The troops began spreading out.

People on the road steered clear away from them, wanting to avoid all trouble. If they could, they slipped into one of the shops and pretended to be a customer. Ever since the attack on the palace commenced, everyone was set on their edge; tensions were high and people were frightened. Kuonji taking over as temporary king did nothing to ease this trouble.

In fact, with his rule, more people were imprisoned for standing up to his personal army. Kuonji began his rule by locking up those in the King's Guard, the King's Elite Forces and anyone who was loyal to the Yukihira's. Anyone who mentioned the Yukihira's family name and their return were thrown in the dungeons and tortured. Soon the people learnt that silence was the ultimate guarantee to their lives.

As soon as the attack started, Mikan immediately entrusted Misaki with the task of obtaining help from the young daughter of the Imai family. Known for her brilliance and intelligence, she has been creating many devices and objects that allowed the Nuru Kingdom to flourish.

Peeking out from behind the boxes, Misaki saw the thing she wanted to see the most. She caught sight of the bright purple eyes staring at her.

"Put your backs to it men! The faster we scanned this area, the faster we can all go home."

The loud shuffling of boots against the cobble road grew closer and closer to where Misaki was hiding.

"_Imai-san! Open the gates so that I can rush in!"_ Misaki silently shouted in her head.

"The commander sure is edgy today! How long has it been since our last day off… Hey you! What are you doing there in the corner suspiciously?!" One of the patrolling soldier exclaimed at Misaki.

"_Shit."_

"Er… I… I lost my… my pendant!" Misaki stuttered in fear. She could not get caught now, after seeing the determination in Mikan's eyes as she instructed her.

Immediately, Misaki crouched down on the ground and began looking for her imaginary pendant.

The soldiers sniggered while eying her up and down, "look here missy, there ain't no pendant here, you're obviously lying. What about this, you give us some of you _services_ and we'll not report this to our commanding officer?"

One of them reach out their hand and pushed Misaki roughly onto the dirty alley floor.

Misaki grimace with pain as her body came into contact with the cold, hard ground, "Please sir… I have to find my pendant and return to my mistress."

"Ooh… a maid, now _that_ is interesting. Hey boys, what say you _doing it_ with a maid?" The older man laughed.

He stretched out his hand, about to touch Misaki who was trembling with fear, when a icy voice cut through their laughter.

"Sir, if you want to lay a finger on my maid, it would cost you 10,000 rabbits. But I doubt someone of your status would have that kind of money." Standing in the light, the petite girl with raven black hair glared at the group of men with her purple eyes.

Immediately, they backed away from Misaki and stood aside.

"Imai-sama." The chorused.

Misaki just stared at the creamed coloured gown Hotaru was wearing, before launching into her act, "I'm so sorry Imai-sama, I was looking for your pendant."

"What are you doing there Misaki? Get off from the ground, I sent you to buy me a pendant and here you are frolicking with people."

Standing up and brushing the dirt off her clothes, she curtsied and apologized, "I'm sorry Hotaru-sama, the pendant that I bought was knocked out of my hand and flew into this alley so I was looking for it."

Hotaru walked to the crates Misaki was hiding behind and glanced under the crates before taking out a dark red broach. "Is this what you're looking for?" Hotaru cocked up an eyebrow.

"Y-yes Hotaru-sama." Misaki bounded towards Hotaru and stood in front of her.

Regarding the soldiers, Hotaru asked in a bored tone, "is there anything else you need from my _personal _maid sir?"

The soldiers fidgeted nervously, except for the highest ranking person there. "Don't think that because you are the sole daughter of the Imai family, you will be spared if you go against Kuonji-sama."

Hotaru looked at the man straight in the eye, "I am free to do whatever I want. Just as how the Yukihira royal family depended on me for their economy, so will Kuonji-_sama._ Threaten me, and I will see to it that this entire kingdom crumbles to ruin." Picking up her dress, she stomped back into her estate and commanded the guards to shut the gates.

"Hey man… weren't we instructed personally by Kuonji-sama not to intimidate the Imai princess? If he gets word of this, we'll all be in deep trouble." The soldiers murmured to each other before carrying on with their duties.

The soldier who spoke up simmered with anger. _"Watch out Hotaru Imai. After you have humiliated me in front of my recruits, don't think I'll let you off the hook."_

* * *

Once safe within the four walls of the Imai mansion, Hotaru whipped out her baka gun and pointed it squarely between Misaki's eyes.

"Speak, otherwise you'll be returning with a third eye."

Misaki shifted uncomfortably, "Mikan sent me here."

"Stupid girl. I should be given the pleasure of shooting you after you made me exit my own house to save your pathetic life. I was in the midst of a new creation and now I've lost that creative stream I was on." Hotaru lowered the gun and walked to her laboratory.

"Mikan… Mikan-sama has escaped from the palace." Misaki chocked out while chasing behind Hotaru who was walking at a fast pace.

"Has she? That's a smart move from someone totally incapable of thinking 2 steps ahead." Moving to her cluttered desk, Hotaru sat on the chair and began twirling the quill in her hand.

Misaki shifted the numerous blueprints off from one of the chairs and sat down on it. "Thank you, for just now."

"Hm."

Twiddling with her thumbs, Misaki dropped the bomb, "She instructed me to find you and told me to tell you that whatever it is, you must keep the kingdom from entering poverty. This is the least she can do for her people if she is not around."

"Hm… strange that this is coming for the princess who isn't first in line for the throne." Hotaru never liked Sumire, simply because she was more than often, worried about trivial matters than state affairs.

After a long period of silence, Misaki spoke up, "You need to find her Hotaru-san. Ruka can't keep both Mikan and Sumire safe. She needs your help."

Hotaru placed the quill down and looked at the older lady-in waiting, "is this coming from Mikan or from you?"

"Hotaru-san, it is you who desires it the most." Misaki bowed her head.

"Tch, that girl can never leave someone in peace can she?" Hotaru shook her head while getting up from her seat to get some documents. "I'll just send these to Kuonji and we can be on our way to where Mikan is."

"What are those?"

"Blueprints for some war devices. Kuonji wanted them."

"WAR DEVICES?! Why are you creating them for him of all people?!" Misaki was appalled, she knew Hotaru was apathetic to the things occurring in the court, but she never knew Hotaru was _that _ apathetic.

"You have been hanging around Mikan too much. I wouldn't give them to him if he could create them within a month. He would need to get me materials from other countries, something he can only do if he has successfully established his status as King."

"Will Kuonji be satisfied so easily?" Misaki felt concern bubbling inside of her.

Hotaru sighed, "Kuonji is a man who is easily satisfied. Besides, he has more pressing issues, like getting Sumire and Mikan back within the capital."

"Oh… and how are you going to find Mikan?"

Hotaru grinned, "do you think I would let my best friend wonder around without me knowing where she's gone?" Grabbing a small device on the table, Hotaru turned it on and the screen lit up. On the screen, there was a blue dot and a red dot further away.

Misaki stared in amazement at the device. Seeing her amazement, Hotaru exclaimed, "we'll leave in an hour. Mikan's the red dot."

* * *

General Kuonji stomped around the King's study unable to comprehend how three people are able to hide from an entire army. He had sent out groups to patrol the capital and the lands surrounding it, making sure that no one were hiding the fugitives.

Then came the knock on the door which he was expecting. The lieutenant and his patrol group which were sent to the dessert lands had returned and were reporting in.

"Sir!" The entire group saluted in attention.

General Kuonji walked behind the desk and settled himself in the armchair. "Did you find them?"

The group fidgeted nervously, each of them eyeing their superior. "No sir."

In his frustration, Kuonji pushed off all the stationary which were on the desk.

"ARGH!"

The group jumped in fear and moved backwards.

"I give all of you a simple job of finding two princesses and their guards, and this is what I get in return. How hard is it to find these wrenches?!" Kuonji roared.

Clearing his throat, the lieutenant spoke, "it is quite unlikely that the princesses would venture so far out into the wilderness. They will not be able to take the harsh conditions out there. Even as we were riding out, there was no on in sight for miles."

Kuonji raised his hand in frustration, about to strike down the impertinent lieutenant, before thinking about something and lowered his hands. Slumping back in the seat he was seating in, he crossed his fingers and gave a command.

"I want to see the Y squad in my office at noon. Dismissed."

Once again the group saluted before leaving the fuming Kuonji in the room. The lieutenant walked down the halls of the palace to the barracks where he found the Y squad sitting opposite each other playing a round of chess.

"Captains, the general commands your presences at noon." The lieutenant saluted to his superior before walking out of the barracks for his much needed rest.

The members of the Y squad looked at each other before smirking and returning to their game.

"You heard that Yu, we got a job." The older boy with brown coloured hair and eyes looked at his junior two years younger than him.

"Finally…" The younger boy with silver hair replied in a bored tone before moving his chess piece.

Pondering on his next move, the older boy spoke his thoughts, "Seriously though, why call us the Y squad, it's not like we have a group of men here; rather it's just the two of us."

The silver haired boy looked to his senior and shrugged, "who knows. Checkmate."

"What?!" The older boy jumped in surprise, "Seriously Yoichi, I've only made less than 10 moves and you got me? Play fairly."

"I am senpai Yume, you just think too slowly." Yoichi yawned before placing his head on the table for a nap.

"It's Koko, stop with the formalities you little imp. Hey don't go sleeping off on me, besides it's unhealthy for a 16 year old to be sleeping so much. We need to see the general in an hour's time!" Koko started flailing his hands in the air as the younger boy drifted off to sleep.

Yuuchiro just waved his hands in an attempt to swat off his annoying senior and went off to dreamland.

* * *

_Mikan was wondering around in a pure white place. Looking up, she shielded her eyes from the glaring light source._

"_You're here mistress…"_

_Looking towards the voice, she saw a girl around her age dressed in a deep violet dress._

"_Who are you?" Mikan called out to the girl._

_The girl started to walk away and Mikan chased after her._

"_Wait! Where am I? Who are you?"_

_Reaching a reflective surface, the girl touched it and the scenery around her changed. It changed to one like the night the palace was attacked. Everything was burning, and then something cold and sticky touched her bare feet. Looking down, Mikan saw a stream of blood pooling and then a scream._

"_Stop it! Leave my family alone!" A raven haired man around his late twenties stood in front of a group of 6 bandits. He was injured, his left hand slashed and it was bleeding badly. The man on the ground was dressed like the bandits and a few other bodies dressed similarly were scattered around the large field._

"_Kill them all." The leader said in a cold tone._

_The man struggled to keep the perpetrators away from the small hut behind him. The leader obviously impatient with the slow progress took a torch and walked to the back of the hut, as the man was preoccupied, torching it on fire. Sensing the heat behind him, the raven haired man spun round and horror took over him. The bandits took this time to inflict more wounds on the man._

"_Otou-san!" A young girl the age of 4 burst out from the door. "Stop! Don't take take away otou-san!" She cried while pleading the men the stop. The feature which caught Mikan's attention was her crimson eyes._

_The men were distracted by the small girl and turned their attention to her. Dropping his sword, he ran towards his daughter and covered her small frame with his body. The bandits happily hacked and stabbed the man._

"_Otou-san! Otou-san!" The small girl screamed._

_Mikan stood paralyzed with fear. She wanted to do something but her legs would not respond to her. The scene before her unfolded with such a flurry._

"_ANATA!" A woman in her late twenties ran out from the fields and beside her was a boy around 6 years old, with bright red eyes._

_Rushing towards her husband, the woman used her own body as a shield to protect her husband and her child. One by one, the bandits suddenly fell to the ground and the young boy's eyes shone blood red in the moon's light as he stabbed them in the back with the small dagger._

_The leader of the bandit saw his men fall and unsheathing his sword, he slashed the woman's back and kicked her body off. Then proceeding with the man, he drove his sword through his skull, killing him instantly. The boy had already taken down 6 men but his sister's scream brought him back to his senses._

"_OKAA-SAN! OTOU-SAN!" She crawled out from under her father and shook her father's body, then moving on her knees, she hugged her mother._

_The leader looked at the small boy then back to his younger sister and smirked. "This is the end boy. Watch your family perish in front of you."_

_Mikan pushed her weight forward and ran towards the man. Whatever it is, she has to stop him. Running to grab his sword, she was struck with surprise as her hand went through the man's. Then she saw the girl in the violet dress stand behind the small boy._

"_Help them!" Mikan screamed at the girl, but the girl merely shook her head. "Do something! ANYTHING!"_

"_Neither you nor I can do anything. We can simply watch." The girl spoke._

_The leader grabbed the young girl by her hair and pulled her upwards. The younger boy charged towards the man but he simply laughed in a menacing way and hit him. Natsume flew right across to where he was originally standing_

"_You're too young to fight me boy, your powers have not matured and you are just weak. Thanks to your father, I got the most powerful alice stone. Now, say goodbye to your sister."_

_The small girl whimpered as her hair was tugged. "Nii-chan! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"_

_In one quick movement, the leader drew his sword across her throat and threw her body against her parent's lifeless ones._

"_Hmph, your slut of a mother and her makeshift family deserve the kind of death they have. Now it's your turn."_

_Mikan ran and hugged the younger boy, "NO! NO MORE! STOP THIS! NATSUME!" The man raised his sword and in that instant Mikan could feel the cold metal within her own body._

_When she opened her eyes, she was back at the place which was a vast whiteness. The girl in the violet dress stood before her and all Mikan could see was the violet dress. Standing up, she tried to stop the tears running down her face._

"_Why did you show me that?" Mikan whispered._

"_It is the memory of your protector, your messenger." The girl took Mikan's hands. "He has hardened his heart and you must free it from its guilt if he is to fulfill his role in this lifetime."_

"_Why are you showing me his memories? Why are you showing me this part of Natsume?!" Mikan tried controlling her tears._

"_Natsume is connected to you; How, you will find out when it is time. I can only show you this much. Just as you are suffering, so is he. This is only the beginning of his suffering."_

"_Who are you?"_

"_I am Kami's sword."_

"_You are Kami's sword?" Mikan repeated dumbly._

"_My main role is to bring about absolute balance, but I am an entity. Living for hundreds of years, I carry the memories of your ancestors and the people connected to them." The girl explained in a monotonous voice._

"_What about Sumire's sword?"_

"_Hers is mainly just a sword, destined to vanquish the darkness within people's hearts. She will never see me nor hear me completely. Unlike you, your sister is not blessed with the gift."_

"_What gift?"_

"_My time has run out. Please, open Natsume's heart."_

"_Wait!"_

Mikan jolted out of her sleep and sat upright. Sweat seeped through her thin nightgown and she began to shiver as the cold night's breeze blew through the window. Swinging her legs off the bed, she walked to the katana wrapped in the purple cloth at the corner of the room.

Waiting for it to assume the form she saw in her dream, she stood there shivering. Realising that nothing would happen, Mikan grabbed her coat and opened the room door. Slipping into the living room, she saw Ruka sitting on the dining chair and sleeping by the fireplace. Seeing the backdoor open, Mikan slipped out and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw how full the moon was.

"It's pretty isn't it?" A high pitched voice softly whispered.

Mikan turned around and saw Aoi standing some distance behind her.

"It is."

"The moon was this full that night. You saw didn't you? You saw how I was killed, how my parents were killed." Aoi stood with her hands beside her and a smile on her face.

Mikan did not know how to respond to such a statement.

"It's all right if you can't respond. You didn't choose to see it, but since you've seen it, please ease the pain in onii-chan's heart. He hasn't grieved properly."

"For over 12 years?" Mikan exclaimed.

Aoi nodded. "He never allowed himself to. Maybe my presence here is like a drug to him. He still believes that I live with him. Technically I do, but it's not the same. I cannot be here forever, you understand that right?"

"How do you know that I've seen that memory?"

"Our memories exist in a dimension that connects those who share the memories. When someone, outside of the circle knows of a particular memory, those involved will feel something. Isn't that why you can look at someone you don't know at all, but yet you feel as though you know them? We've all wondered into other people's memories but as soon as we awake, we forget them." Aoi explained and returned gazing at the moon.

"Onii-chan as well… he knows that someone was in his memories."

"He… He knows?!" Mikan stuttered. She did not want to leave a bad impression with Natsume but delving into someone's precious memories was a sure way of doing that.

"I know." A husky deep voice answered from the cottage's doorway.

Mikan immediately bowed and greeted him, "good evening Natsume-san."

"Hmph." The older boy stopped next to her. "Nice way of waking someone up."

Mikan looking for some support, looked to where Aoi was standing but she had already disappeared.

"I guess Aoi didn't explain fully, you can only enter someone's memories when they're in a dream. That said…" Suddenly, Natsume's hand glowed a warm orange and when it opened it, a pendant was in his hands, "Sheesh Aoi… don't go running your mouth." Natsume muttered while placing the crimson red pendant around his neck.

"I'm sorry Natsume-san, I didn't mean to." Mikan apologized.

"I know. That damn sword did it. Does she not know a sense of privacy?" Natsume kicked a rock on the ground.

"How… how did you know about the sword?"

"Ruka showed it to me?"

"You touched it? Cause that is the only way of communicating with the sword."

"Er… yeah?" Natsume was staring at the princess with a furrowed brow. "Is something the matter?"

Mikan pondered hard, why was it that Ruka could not touch the sword without her permission, yet Natsume can? Wasn't he supposed to be shocked?

"So you just touched it?" Mikan asked again.

"Are you deaf hime?"

"No… sorry." Mikan kept quiet before the scene of the bloodshed flashed before her eyes. She looked around and recognized the scenery, "Isn't this the place where your family was murdered?" Mikan softly asked. "Who is the man who killed them?"

Natsume whipped around and glared at her. Like the memories, his eyes shown a deep red colour. "Just because you have seen it doesn't mean I want to talk about it and it definitely does not mean that I would like you in them. Don't act all familiar with me."

Kicking another rock with vengeance, Natsume stormed to the front of the house and sat by the fire place. Staring into the flames which always seemed to keep him calm, he cooled off but yet he realized that he should not have snapped at her. It was not her fault, anyone would be curious.

Touching the braid which he held dear from under his headband, he relieved that nightmare. However what disturbed him was not the memory of bloodshed, but his own inability to stop killing.

* * *

Sumire awoke once the sun's rays hit her face. Opening her eyes, she noted that her sister was not in her bed. Grabbing the small wakizashi from her bedside table, she emerged from the room only to face a somber atmosphere.

"Good morning." Sumire quietly said to both Natsume and Mikan who were sitting at opposite ends of the dining table.

Ruka entered through the back door while carrying 4 mugs filled with steaming fresh milk.

"Good morning Sumire-hime. Come drink this up and we'll be on our way." Ruka placed the mugs in front of everyone before sitting down and drinking his own.

Sipping the warm milk, Sumire felt the tension in her muslces loosen and her head began to clear. "Where are we going Ruka? We've already found Natsume-san."

Drinking the last bit of his drink, Ruka placed the mug down and explained, "before your father passed on, he instructed me to bring the both of you to see 'The Voice of God'. That is who we are going to meet next."

"How are we going to find that person?" Mikan asked.

Ruka looked to Natsume, "Natsume-san here… we'll let's say he's a walking encyclopedia. He has information from all over the country and it should point us in the right direction."

Natsume got up and walked to the bookshelf near the front door. Running his fingers down the spines the books, he stopped at a dark green book and pulled it out. Carrying it in his hands, he walked towards the trio and opened it. Staring at them was a small map of the country.

"This is the capital of the country of Nuru right? Also known as the Nuru Kingdom." Natsume looked up and saw the three of them nodding. "Also it is the only place which is developed, hence it is surrounded by a mountainous range, a large forest separating us and the neighboring country and the ocean."

"All right, 'The Voice of God' should be somewhere…" Running his index finger across the page, he jabbed a spot on the map, "here."

Mikan looked at the place which Natsume had poked and curiosity welled up inside of her, "that person is at the border of the forest?"

Natsume raised an eyebrow, "you doubt me?"

"No… but we'd have to pass close to the capital." Sumire spoke up.

The group remained silent.

Clearing his throat, Natsume spoke, "Ruka didn't come to me for help because I would provide you only with information, I'm going along and with me, your chances of survival just increased. Besides, I have associates in town and they'll help us."

Ruka beamed proudly at his friend, he knew that with Natsume's help, they could probably outwit Kuonji.

* * *

**_Hi hi! So sorry for taking so long to update! Uni just started and everything is very hectic. I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter despite its mature-ish content. I'm a little saddened by the drop in reviews, but nonetheless, a BIG thank you to those who have reviewed!_**

**_If you're wondering about the whole deal with alice stones, it will be explained in the next chapter._**

**_Now replies!_**

**_Enilezah: Hello! Yes occassionally I update two chapters at a time if I feel that my creative juices just keep flowing. :) Ever happy to make my readers happy!_**

**_BloodyFantasy: Hi hi! Thank you for reviewing! How do you love the plot so far?_**

**_Lessthanthreeanime: I'm not sure if I replied you but your reviews make me UBER happy! Thank you for the compliments and yay! I'm also glad that Natsume and Mikan met. Have always been itching to write that scene. Now you'll have to anticipate the next event happening!_**

**_Guest: Aww... please do leave a name if you're going to review since your review is so sweet. Thank you! :)_**

**_mybeyondinfinity: Thank you for the compliment! I hope that the story has been to your liking so far!_**


	7. Chapter 6: Kinpaku

**Chapter 6: Kinpaku; Tension**

The sun hung high over the group's head as they slowly made their way back to the capital. Trying to remain as quiet as possible, Sumire accidentally stepped on a twig and the snap resounded throughout the barren grassland.

Natsume's head whipped around and he glared at the girl, who stood paralyzed.

"Sorry…" She murmured, looking at the ground nervously.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it around here _princess._" Natsume hissed.

Mikan who was crouching behind Sumire stood up in anger. "Really? Are you _always_ this mean? She's not used to crouching for so long and her legs are beginning to tire."

Natsume hurried to Mikan's side and pulled her down. "Idiot, do you want to be spotted?!" The duo fell back to the ground and just sat there.

Mikan glared back into his crimson eyes, annoyed that they had been crouching ever since they entered the grasslands. "Why are we crouching anyway?! There's no one in sight for miles! We should be walking and conserving our energy."

"Mikan-hime…" Ruka started.

"If you want to be spotted from the watch towers in the capital, go ahead, walk with your head held high." Natsume spat in an annoyed tone. _Royals!_

"Mikan-sama, just listen to Natsume. He knows these lands better than I do and he would know if we will be spotted from the watch tower." Ruka said in a soothing tone.

Letting out a sigh of anger, Mikan looked at her sister who was wincing in pain as the pins and needles began in her leg.

"Could we stop for a break then? We've been crouching around for more than an hour." Mikan pleaded.

Looking up in the sky to determine the time of the day, Natsume nodded slightly and both Ruka and Sumire collapsed to the ground, stretching their feet out to allow blood to flow back into them.

Opening his backpack, Natsume took out a small translucent candy and passed it to Sumire. "Here, eat this, it'll help relieve the pain in your muscles." Passing her the golden candy, Sumire popped it into her mouth and allowed the sweet flavor to fill her entire cavity. Slowly, she felt the effects of the sweet and smiled as she could once again feel her feet without the pain.

"Thank you Natsume-san." Sumire said with a slight blush.

The raven haired boy nodded curtly and spoke, "let's move. Don't stand higher than these grasses or else we'll be detected. Ruka move front, I need an extra pair of trained eyes."

The group got to their feet and began moving.

"Natsume… must you be this harsh?" Ruka whispered after seeing that the two princesses were a distance away.

Natsume looked at Ruka with one of his eyebrows cocked up, "really? You're asking me this? If they want to survive, they should be able to throw away their pain."

"They've never trained like you and I have. I know it's of utmost importance we reach the capital before dark, but we could take it down a notch." Ruka tried reasoning.

Looking back at the two princesses who were trudging through the grass, Natsume winced with each sound they made. "Yeah… all right. I thought the other one would move faster though since her sister is better at this."

"You mean Sumire-hime?"

"How is it her sister is able to adapt faster while she can't? They're sisters aren't they?" Natsume scoffed.

Ruka merely looked at Natsume and smiled, _"that's because Mikan has been training with the King's Guard."_

* * *

Koko Yume looked at his kohai as they stood in the stable and began saddling their horses. Moving his arm to tighten the leather straps, he felt the scratchy material of their uniform and immediately stopped. Seeing how Yoichi also stopped moving as he felt the material, Koko started to read his mind.

"_Argh, why did they use such lousy materials for the army's uniform! We're captains for goodness sake, couldn't they have made ours out of something with __**more**__ quality?!"_

Koko began to snigger at the younger boy, "Yoichi, I feel your pain, but I don't think we're going to get better quality uniforms any time soon."

Yoichi glared at his senior, "Koko-sempai, you've got to stop reading people's minds without their permission, it's rude."

"Aw Yoichi…" Koko pouted, "isn't that why I was promoted to captain in the first place?"

Rolling his eyes, Yoichi tried his best to ignore the scratchy material and scoffed at it once more. _"Seriously, we look so grand in this material, but we have to sit so rigid because it's so scratchy!"_

Commander Goshima walked into the stable and started giving out commands to the two captains.

"Captains." The 23 year old commander walked in while Koko and Yoichi saluted. "You all ready?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good, you are to accompany the group of troops on their search for the princesses in the town. The general has expressed high hopes for the both of you, do not fail him. Reports must be sent by the end of the day. Dismissed."

Nodding to his subordinates, the cold commander left the stable.

"_Koko, did you feel that?" _Yoichi spoke in his mind.

Koko looked at him and nodded, they both felt a sudden surge in power as soon as Goshima walked into the room and this was unusual. Checking that their saddles were in place, both of them mounted their horses and rode to outside to where the troops were waiting for them.

"_Be careful around Commander Goshima. He's different." _Koko cautioned the younger boy.

* * *

The bells of the clock in the city centre chimed three times to indicate the time. Birds immediately took to flight once the loud resounding clanking of the the brass bells began. Further below the clock tower, the townspeople have begun to lose track of time.

"_How long has it been since we started living like this?"_

This thought played out many times in everyone's mind. It seemed like they were living in such tough conditions for years; but in fact, it has only been a week or son.

Amongst the tired and worn out people who were fidgeting in the sun's heat, the group of four passed through the gates and were walking along to stalls.

"Keep your heads down and don't do anything to stand out." Natsume whispered to the two princesses.

Both girls nodded in compliance before following him. Occasionally daring a peek from the hoods that kept their faces hidden, Mikan and Sumire noted how the people were faring and they did not like what they saw. The atmosphere of the town which was once so lively was now reduced to a murmur. No one was shouting out loud to sell their goods, everyone were speaking in hush tones. There was a seemingly thick cloak of tension surrounding the entire capital.

Seeing how the group was walking, people eyed them yet kept out of the way. No one wanted any trouble, but trouble seemed to find the group.

The sound of hooves against the cobble ground resounded in the silent town. Upon hearing that familiar sound which was associated with fear, many ran back into their houses and closed the door. More daring people stayed outside but kept to the side of the road. Shop keepers coward in fear and muttered a short pray under their breaths.

Looking to Natsume, he gave a curt nod and whispered, "this way." Ruka took the lead and led them to a back alley. "Stay in the shadows and move as quietly as you can."

Moving further away from the sound of the horses and the clanking of armour, the group finally reached the back door of a shop. Surveying the surroundings, Natsume opened his backpack and passed the princesses four leather skinned water bags.

"Here, fill them up by the small well round the corner. I'll be out as quick as I can. Ruka, come with me, I need you to help me carry some things." Passing Mikan and Sumire the water bags, Natsume then turned around and entered the door.

Clutching the leather water bags in their hands, Mikan and Sumire carefully made their way to the small well.

"They're suffering. What happened?" Mikan asked Sumire as she slowly poured the water from the bucket into the bag.

Sumire stayed silent. She never took an interest in public affairs, what more the welfare of the people. _"Have they always looked like that? So shrivelled? So unhappy? Wasn't Mikan always telling that servant of hers that the town was always so lively?"_

Drawing the bucket up for the last time, both girls were filling up the final water bag before the sounds they did not want to hear ended up at the end of the alley.

"Hey you two! We are soldiers from the Royal Army. Stop what you are doing and turn around." The two men with their full armour walked noisily towards the girls.

Both Mikan and Sumire froze on the spot.

"_Why did I not smell them coming?!" _Sumire mentally reprimanded herself.

Mikan slowly screwed the cap to the water bag on and slowly slinged it on her shoulder.

"Did you not hear what I say?! Turn around before I get angry. We just want to get this inspection over and done with." The soldier commanded with an angry tone.

Sumire eyed Mikan and saw her pull her hood lower over her face. Doing the same thing, the both of them slowly turned around.

The two soldiers stopped walking when they saw the two girls turn around. Unable to see their faces or hair colour, they demanded the both of them to remove their hoods.

With trembling hands, Mikan raised her hands to her hood but then she felt a warm heat emitting from the katana she was carrying on her back. Reaching towards the hilt, she slowed her breathing and calmed herself down.

Getting frustrated at the slowness, the soldier marched forward with his sword drawn and grabbed the cloth over Mikan's head before pulling it back. His eyes widened in shock as the image of the princess was staring back at him. Then recovering from his shock, he chuckled and pulled back the hood of Sumire's.

"Why… two birds with one stone. Let's report back to the captains and this useless search will be over." The other soldier commented with an amuse tone.

Grabbing Sumire by her arm, the closer soldier attempted to pull Sumire along with him, but she resisted not because she did not want to move, but her legs refused to listen to her. Feeling the warm feeling at her side, she could hear the faint words in her head.

"_No… protect… defend…"_

Anger flashed in the soldier's eye as her stubbornness was preventing him from getting on with his job, he raised his sword to hit her with the hilt but it was met with a loud sound.

Sumire opened her eyes to see Mikan holding the katana in both hands and standing in front of her. The side of the katana cover came into contact with the hilt of the soldier's sword and prevented him from injuring the princess.

"Why you…" Removing his hand on Sumire, he lifted his hands against Mikan, knocking the wind out of her.

Mikan's hand had reached for the cloth around the katana and slowly peeled it back as the soldier was distracted with Sumire, and with quick speed, she stopped the blow meant for her sister. Unsuspecting of what he would do next, she felt her body fly and hit the well behind her and dropped the katana.

"The captains didn't say specify the conditions in which they were to be brought back. They deserve a beating after resisting us and making us go through all this trouble." The guard with his sword drawn smirked. His partner seeing the commotion from afar, drew his sword as well and threatened the two princesses.

"How… how can you do this!? Didn't you swear to protect the people of this kingdom when you joined the army?" Sumire cried out.

The guard wave his sword carelessly in the air and laughed, "ever since we decided to join Kuonji, do you know how liberated we felt, never having to be restrained when taking in prisoners? We could vent all out anger on them. Why on earth did you father even pass the law for criminals to be treated as equals?" He spat on the ground with vengeance.

"Scream and you will be hit even more. Now get up before I deal another blow. My patience is wearing thin." The second guard growled. Yanking Mikan roughly by her arm, he pulled her to her feet before giving her another blow to her face.

Mikan started to taste iron in her mouth as the soldier vented his anger on her. Looking aside to see her sister, she saw how the man's hand had snaked its way round her waist and he was enjoying how uncomfortable Sumire was squirming.

Sumire clutched the hilt of her wakizashi inside her cloak and as soon she felt the warm breathe of the soldier on her ear, she unsheathed it and turned around with a quick speed, plunging it into him.

"ARGH!" The man screamed out in pain and released her from his snake like grip. He clutched the wound which Sumire had inflicted and cursed. The man's scream distracted his partner and he paused to look at the commotion. Using the distraction to her advantage, Mikan pushed herself off the ground and lurched for the katana lying close to her.

Throwing off the cover, she held the katana steadily with both hands.

"Wrenches!" The injured soldier cursed and staggered menacingly towards Sumire. "How dare you…" He raised his hand once again and attempted to plunged his sword into Sumire but another force threw him upwards. Before he knew it, he was soon passing on to the underworld.

"Who… who are you two?" The remaining soldier looked at Ruka and Natsume in fear. Ruka was standing ready with his sword drawn while Natsume glared at him after throwing the other soldier over his head.

Ruka was always different when in a combat, his usual happy self was gone and replaced with a more serious and cold personality. Walking up to the remaining soldier, the soldier freaked out and began slashing his sword dangerously at Mikan.

"You will never take me alive! I'll never go down alone!" He hacked away while Mikan tried to parry. It was much difficult than she expected because the man was using his full strength and was much quicker than what she was used to. Within a few blows, the katana flew out of her hand and the man laughed in a mad way.

"Mikan-hime isn't as strong as rumoured. She's just a useless princess." The man commented before his neck was twisted by Natsume from the back and Ruka plunged his sword into him from the front at the same time.

"Shut up." Ruka murmured.

The man's eyes rolled back into his eyes and he crumbled onto the ground in a heap.

Staring wide eyed at the two corpses, Mikan and Sumire were clearly in shock having never seen deaths of people so close to them before.

Wiping his sword on the uniform of the dead soldier, Ruka sheathed his sword and took the wakizashi from Sumire's hand, wiping the blade clean from any blood. Bending down, he gently took Mikan's arm and held her up before bending down once again to pick up the katana. Then walking to the other princess, he helped Sumire to her feet.

Natsume let out a sigh and walked back to the well. Grabbing the filled water bags, he jerked his head in the direction of another alley and spoke, "we need to go now. Their bodies will be found soon."

Nodding in agreement, Ruka urged both girls to walk in front of him before looking back at the scene behind him.

* * *

"Check in!" Koko shouted and the guards who were on their patrols immediately assembled before him. "What's the strength?"

After standing to attention, the highest ranking officer marched up to Koko.

"38 sir!"

Koko tapped his chin in a thoughtful way. "That's not good, we came with 40 and we have to return with 40. Who are the two soldiers missing?"

Yoichi joined Koko after walking around the town and asked him what the commotion was. "We're missing two men." Koko explained to Yoichi while looking a little distressed, "don't tell me they went off to have a little fun." Koko started whining.

Rolling his eyes, Yoichi asked if anyone could offer information on where the two soldiers were last seen. After gathering that they were seen entering a small alley, the young captain instructed the platoon to return back to the palace barracks while he and Koko would look for them.

As the platoon marched off, Yoichi stalked off to the alley which was mentioned. Koko followed closely behind and was suddenly stopped in his tracks when he saw the two dead bodies in front of them.

"What… what do you see?" Koko asked Yoichi as he activated his alice.

Yoichi remained silent as he saw how death had claimed the two soldiers. He knew that one was thrown in the air and landed wrongly on his skull while the other had his head dislocated and stabbed in the gut.

"YO. !" Koko waved his hand in front of his junior when his question was not answered.

Something else bothered him. Yoichi's alice allowed him to see spirits and truthfully, he could see the two solider's spirit wondering around this plane. However, with every death, he could see how they died. Yoichi saw Mikan's bodyguard stab the guard with his neck dislocated while Sumire had stabbed the other guard.

"S_o that means the trio which we are looking for are in town."_ Yoichi thought.

However what bothered him was that he could not see the person who had thrown the man in the air and dislocated the other soldier's neck. In fact, it seemed as if he was actively hiding his life force.

"Sempai, what can you infer from the bodies?" Yoichi asked while trying to solve the mystery in his head.

"Hm… the kills were clean. This guy landed the wrong way, by the indentation in his head, I'm assuming someone threw him over their body. The other guy," Koko pointed to the bleeding soldier, "he had some kind of fun. Removing his head from neck and getting stab in the gut." Standing up from his crouching position, Koko continued, "There were two people who killed them. They're not ordinary killers though. The impact on the head and the dislocation, it was done with one quick movement, almost as if you were trained to kill that way."

"Exactly. There are only a few people in the palace who can kill this way. Do you remember the rumors?" Yoichi walked out of the alley.

Koko placed his hands behind his head and looked at the orange sky. "You mean _that _unit under the King's guard?"

Yoichi nodded. "No one ever knows who were in that group except the King himself."

"This sucks, since Izumi-sama is gone, we can never find out who did this. But then again Yoichi, no one knows if _that _unit even exist, those were merely rumors." Koko let out a sigh.

"I'm sure it exists. But that's not our only problem, the princesses are here with Ruka-san."

Koko chocked on his saliva and stared wide eyed at his stoned faced kohai. "So… you mean to say that the people who killed them is that trio? Or more specifically Ruka? What are they doing back in the capital? Isn't it the most dangerous place now?"

Yoichi shrugged, "who knows. We can never tell what goes on in the mind of the royals. There's someone else with them."

"Hm…" Koko entered into his serious mode for the second time that day, "I can see why you were looking so troubled. Could you see that person?"

"No. He was trying his best to conceal his life force. That's why I said _that_ unit exists. No one was taught how to conceal their life force, much less their alice." Yoichi finally reached his horse and mounted it. "We have to be careful. If that person is really from _that_ unit, trying to catch the princesses isn't going to be easy."

Koko nodded and mounted his own horse. "So what do we do? Do we report everything?"

Yoichi smirked, "I don't think Goshima is the person to act on rumors. We just tell him the essentials while we do more digging."

"Sounds like a good plan." Koko let out a loud sigh, "but still… we'll be sent out on patrol again! I really want to rest!"

"You rest too much senpai." Yoichi rolled his eyes again at Koko who was slumped over his horse.

* * *

The purple eyed girl sat on her flying duck and as she looked down on the lacklustre town, she felt irritation well up inside her.

"Hotaru-chan, why are we flying over the capital at night?" Misaki asked while clinging on tightly to Hotaru for her dear life as they hovered a few hundred feet from the ground.

Checking the beeping device on the front, Hotaru saw the red dot coming closer to the blue dot.

"Because if people looked up and saw a flying duck, I don' think they'll take well to it." Hotaru replied with annoyance. She hated when people questioned her motives, but most of all she was really peeved by this one fact; _why is that moron doing in the capital when the guards were on full alert for her?!_

* * *

**_Hello all! I'm really sorry for the lack of updates! The amount of work and tests just keep slapping me in the face. Luckily mid-semester break starts next week so hopefully I'll be able to update faster._**

**_As you can see, this chapter focused more on Koko and Yoichi because they need more airtime! Please review as usual and I'll try my best to churn out the next chapter ASAP! For all those who reviewed and favourite this, thank you so much! ^^_**

**_Happy Easter!_**

**_Replies:_**

**_mybeyondinfinity: Hello! Thank you so much for your compliments and your belief that this would have a strong plot! I've been trying hard to keep things interesting so do hang on to your seat! :D_**

**_adrienna22: It's all right! You reviewed in the end! HOORAY! I'm glad that you caught on to the 'voice of God' mystery and the bits about Natsume. All right I'll clarify. Mikan saw Natsume's memories, the sword allowed her to see into his inner memories. Why only Natsume? The hint was given in the previous chapter. ^^ If you still have queries, don't hesitate to voice them out! Enjoy!_**

**_Sariko-chan723: Thank you for the compliments! I'm trying my best to write as fast as I can! Sometimes I get really bad mental blocks as to how to link the things I want in my head. To help, the more reviews it is, the easier and more motivated I am to write faster. Cause more reviews show me that people like this fanfic! Thank you for hanging on!_**

**_Suyin Sah: Hi! Yay! I'm glad you found the plot interesting! Yup it will get better with the chapters! I'll do my best to meet your expectations!_**


	8. Chapter 7: Tsuiseki

_**Hello Tomadachi! I'm really sorry for the lack of updates! Have an essay deadline in a week's time so I've been struggling to get that finish. Do enjoy this!**_

* * *

**Chapter 7: Tsuiseki; Chasing**

Kuonji writhed in anger as he sat broodingly in Izumi's study. To his right, he had discovered the secret passage way that led down to the hidden cave. At first he was elated, assuming that the sword would be there, but what stared back at him was the empty boulder.

His plan was going smoothly till this little hiccup happened.

Turning around to stare at the blonde doctor who was seemingly looking around the study in awe, a vein popped in his head.

_How could such an airheaded baron ever become a doctor?! Look at his carefree attitude in this time of urgency! Does he not care about the missing princesses?_

"Narumi…" Kuonji started at the doctor turned his attention to his senior of 3 years and smiled.

"Yes?" Narumi replied in a singsong manner.

* * *

Being stuck in the palace and tending to the wounds of the army was not something he enjoyed. Narumi yearned to leave the palace and aid Mikan in whatever she was doing. After the chaos, he had to tend to the numerous wounded, however his presence was immediately requested by Kuonji.

Having had to be literally dragged to see Kuonji, Narumi fumed in anger. _Did this nutcase not know how many casualties there are from his little uprising?! Soldiers and their useless brains…_

A sharp rap on the door made Narumi wince. The lack of sleep from tending to the wounded was getting to him. The doors to Kuonji's quarters opened and he stood face to face with the raven haired man. Kuonji looked at the dirtied Narumi and smirked, "so the doctor stays behind while everyone flees for their lives."

Narumi snorted. "Some kind of doctor I would be if I abandoned the wounded. If I _**betrayed**_ their trust."

Kuonji raised an eyebrow and Narumi was struck in the face by the guard by his side. Tasting blood in his mouth, he spat at Kuonji's feet and looked up in defiance.

"I don't have time to play word games with you Anju-san. Since you remain here, you _choose_ to remain here, you will now answer to me. The royal family is no more and since there will be no more balance in this country, I will be the one to bring about this balance. Your first duty is to heal the wounds of the King's Guards."

Narumi looked up from the ground and stared at Kuonji confusedly. _The King's Guards? Didn't he capture all of them and throw them into the dungeons?_

A small laugh escaped Kuonji's lips, "I see you're thinking hard. Loyalty can be bought my dear doctor. I don't want them dead, in fact, I need them alive. They are going to tell me whatever I want to know and so are you, starting with Kami's Sword."

Narumi kept quiet and returned his gaze to the ground. He swore never to tell others of the sword, he promised Izumi.

Seeming to read his mind, Kuonji continued, "Izumi is dead. So is my daughter. You answer to no one else but me now."

Anger grew within Narumi, "how could you kill your own daughter? How could you give out orders for her to be murdered?!"

"She served her purpose. Is it even possible to love something like that _thing_? It was good that she was so obedient, always doing my bidding and listening to me." Kuonji began pacing around his room, "jealousy, anger… they're emotions which rob all sense of reasoning from you. It was interesting to see how they changed my daughter from a kind-hearted girl into one who lusted after power. Poisoning her mind was so easy with those emotions." Stopping and turning to face Narumi, Kuonji nodded his head and the guards yanked Narumi.

"Bring him to tend to the wounds of the King's guards then return him here after he is done." Kuonji instructed the two burly men beside Narumi.

Turning his attention to Narumi, Kuonji's eyes glinted with evil, "You have a choice to tell me about Kami's sword. If you don't, people around you will suffer."

In that instant, a bloody young commander was thrown into the room.

"Akira!" Narumi fought his way to the young man who was writhing in pain. Immediately checking his pulse, he noted that it was growing faint.

"Ah I see the poison is working well." Kuonji murmured in amusement.

"Give me the antidote." Narumi answered darkly.

Kuonji took out a small vial of clear blue liquid and dangled it in front of Narumi's face. Narumi reached out to snatch it away but he grasped only at air.

"Ah ah… I didn't say this was to be given for free. Tell me the details of the sword."

"After Akira has drunk the antidote." Narumi urged as Tono started to thrash around in a sudden surge of pain.

"_**Before**_. Tick tock Narumi-sensei."

Debating with his mind whether to disclose such information, Narumi looked at Tono and to the vial and let out a frustrated sigh.

"All right! The passage way to the sword is in Izumi-sama's study room. Now hand over the vial!"

Kuonji was pleased with the answer and carelessly threw the vial in Narumi's direction. Dashing out to catch the fragile vial before it broke, Narumi uncorked it and tipped the contents into Tono's mouth before tipping his head back, forcing him to swallow the liquid.

Instantly, Tono stopped moving in pain and he heaved with heavy breaths. His body managed to sustain the pain and he could finally have a moment of relief.

"_It would take some time for Kuonji to find the key to the underground passage. Please let the swords be taken."_

* * *

After that incident with Tono, Narumi practically had no freedom. He was bound by his promise to Izumi to stay within the palace so that he could keep an eye on Kuonji's movements. However, out of all this dreariness, Narumi found a way to keep his spirits up. He loved how Kuonji got frustrated each time Narumi answered him in a singsong manner. Each time Kuonji got mad, Narumi felt a little happier and made this his little mission each day.

Out of all the staff in the palace, he was the only on with the knowledge about Kami's sword since it was said to have some sort of healing ability. That was rumors till Izumi brought him to the sword. Amazed that it even existed, he began his study on it. There was so much he wanted to know, but his research was cut short by the uprising.

Once again, he was sitting at the window and it was the nth day when Kuonji finally found the book which opened up the passageway. However, he was met with an empty boulder. Narumi surged in joy but wore a shocked expression.

This was not making Kuonji any happier and his day began to slide further. The loud rapping on the door added to his frustration and he growled, "enter".

Commander Goshima walked in and saluted in respect.

"I have news sir." Goshima spoke curtly.

Kuonji's head began throbbing. _It had better be good news._

"This afternoon's patrol has gone smoothly. We have confirmed that the princesses and their bodyguard are in the capital." Goshima reported when Kuonji did not make a sound.

The crimson rays of the setting sun shone in through the glass-stained window behind the armchair Kuonji was sitting on. Once the news had registered in his head, he looked up at the commander thinking that it was some kind of cruel joke. Remembering how the commander was one of his loyal subordinates, the corners of Kuonji's mouth curled upwards.

Goshima noted the immediate change in mood from Kuonji and he silently let out a breath of relief.

"We found two of our men dead and it was most likely caused by Ruka. That was an hour ago."

"Good… this is good, commander. It's a pity that some have to be sacrificed for this great goal but nonetheless, organise search parties this very instant. Barricade all bridges and highways leading out from the capital. I want those three caught by the end of tonight! It would take them another hour to reach the nearest bridge. Set out now!" Kuonji was practically dancing with joy in his cold shell.

_You'll be mine soon. Very soon._

* * *

The group walked in silence as they finally reached the border which would lead into the lands of the forest. Not one word was said since the incident but Natsume suddenly turned around and Mikan walked straight into him.

"Ouch…" Mikan muttered as she hit her head against his body.

Natsume looked down at the girl before him. _How could she be so stupid?! Taking on a well-trained soldier by herself with that weird looking sword. Does she want to be killed before even starting her mission?_ Looking up, he noted how Sumire had this spaced out look about her. _The sister as well, instead of running or screaming for help, she just stood there, paralysed in fear. What would happen if Ruka and I hadn't come to their aid?_

Mikan looked up at Natsume and saw that his crimson eyes were sparkling with a tinge of anger.

"Sorry. I'll be more careful." Mikan said while looking down again. She licked her suddenly dry lips and tasted the faint taste of iron in her mouth. Raising a finger to her mouth, she lightly dabbed the wound and saw that the wound had split after she licked it.

"Sumire-hime… are you all right?" Ruka looked at Sumire and held her shoulders.

Sumire kept muttering that she was sorry, that she had placed the both of them in danger because she did not actively use her alice.

When Mikan looked up, the dark red scab on her lips caught Natsume's attention. _She's hurt?_ He chided himself for not noticing it despite being trained to be observant. _When did she get hurt?_ He was so preoccupied with the soldier wielding the sword that he forgot to take a look at both the princesses.

Behind him, he could hear Ruka comforting Sumire, "it's all right, it's not your fault. You wouldn't have known."

Sumire shook her head, "I should have. My alice would allow me to but I didn't use it. At a time like this, I should be using my alice instead of trying to conserve it."

Reaching into his back pocket, Natsume took out a small white handkerchief and uncapped the water bag. Dipping it into his water bag, the cloth immediately absorbed the cool water and he proceeded to tend to Mikan's wounds.

"Stay still." Natsume said while cupping her chin.

Mikan's breath hitched in her throat. Natsume's face slowly drew closer to hers and she could feel his intense gaze at her lips. His touch seared her skin as he brought the handkerchief closer to her face.

"I can clean up my own wound." Mikan started to argue but was cut off.

"Stop talking and this will be over soon." Natsume murmured while concentrating on dabbing away the fresh blood.

The cool cloth on her lip brought relief to the swelling that was beginning to form and seeing how Natsume was concentrating so hard, Mikan finally noted that he had a boyish charm. A few strands of his raven locks escaped the thick headband he was wearing and hung over his crimson eyes.

"Mikan-hime?" Natsume broke her out of her trance. Once he looked up from her broken lip, he saw how large her brown eyes were and they were staring back at him. Clearing his throat, he leaned back and washed the blood off his handkerchief with a little water. "Don't bite your lips when you're nervous and the wound will heal."

Once Natsume pulled away from her, Mikan suddenly felt that it was much easier to breathe and she immediately began to bite her lower lip until Natsume reminded her not to do that and she stopped. _Was he always so nice?_ Mikan thought to herself.

Natsume walked over to the younger sister and lowered himself to her eye level.

"I know you're blaming yourself, but what's done is done. There isn't time for you to be harping over the past. The next time when the two of you are together, just be more alert and use your alice. Contrary to belief, your alice will not run out as fast as rumored." Once Sumire heard those words, she wiped away her tears and stood up.

Ruka looked to Natsume and gave him a nod as thanks. Nodding back, Natsume took out a pair of binoculars and focused them at the bridge. What caught his attention was the sound of galloping horses coming from behind him. Stuffing the binoculars back into his bag, he urged the group to start running towards the bridge.

"We have to go NOW! The army has most likely caught wind of our presence in town. We have to get over the bridge to be safe." Picking up the large knapsack, he slung it over his shoulders and clung on to his sword in his left hand.

Pushing his legs to run, they covered the distance within a short time, but the army had seen them and was charging on their horses.

"Hurry! We are safe once we've entered the forest!" Natsume shouted as the other three tried to run faster. Ruka and Sumire had reached the opposite side of the bridge way before Mikan because out of the two packs that were given to the princesses, Mikan purposely chose the heavier one.

_Hurry up! Hurry up! _Natsume urged in his head. _She's not going to make it!_

"Ruka, stay with Sumire-hime." Natsume said in a cool tone as he placed his knapsack on the ground. "Whatever you do, don't cross this boundary." Natsume drew a rough line with his scabbard on the ground.

Securing the belt which held his sword round his hip. He walked slowly up to the other end of the bridge and drew his sword. Slinging the crossbow that was hanging off his shoulder, Natsume loaded an arrow and fired at the soldier nearest to Mikan with deadly accuracy. Mikan could feel her legs burning as she pushed off from the ground but the loud sound of the metal armor clanking against the saddle did not help her in running faster. In fact, she started to panic and looked around to see how close they were to her.

This caused her to trip over the root of a nearby tree and she crashed into a pile on the ground. Looking up to see the nearest soldier so close to her, she closed her eyes in fear as he raised his sword high above his head. Then she heard a loud sound and saw an arrow protruding out from his head. The soldier crashed to the ground and the horse, which was now without a rider, neighed in surprise and ran backwards.

"GET OFF FROM THE GROUND!" Natsume shouted as he inched closer to her, releasing an arrow when a solider got within 30 metres of the princess and immediately reloading. Consciously, he knew that he could not waste anymore arrows otherwise they would have trouble hunting for food later on.

Mikan was startled by the sudden shout and she quickly picked herself off the ground, but she fell again once she felt the sharp pain in her ankle. One of the soldiers picked up his crossbow from his side and aimed for the princess. Once he got a clear shot, he released the arrow but to his surprise the arrow flew upwards.

"_Mikan-hime… get to safety! I'll protect you!" _A warm turquoise enveloped Mikan as a barrier alice stone was activated.

_Damn damn, he's too far for me! He's going to hit the princess! _Natsume panicked as he saw the guard raise the crossbow but he too was surprised when the arrow flew upwards. Looking back at Mikan, he saw her within an aura of turquoise. Seeing as one of the horses without a rider was running towards him, he timed his mounting in such a way that allowed him to kick off from the ground and land promptly on the saddle.

Grabbing the reigns, he made the horse run towards the remaining group of 4.

"Get him men! Don't let the princesses escape!" One of the shouted while charging. Two of the men had their crossbows readied while the other two held the torches which provided the only light in the dark grasslands.

Anticipating the release of the arrows, Natsume blocked them with his sword and reared his horse backwards such that he was behind the two crossbow holders. With a quick slash, he had sliced the throat of one while slicing another in the chest as the two men were trying to get their swords out of the scabbard.

Throwing their torches onto the ground, the dried grass caught fire and prevented Natsume from riding behind the remaining two. Turning to face them head on, Natsume dug his heels into the side of his mare and she ran as fast as she could towards the other two. Removing his feet from the stirrup, he crouched on the saddle and drew out the dagger within his boot. Once the two men were close enough, he leaped off his horse and landed behind of one of the soldiers. Digging the dagger deep into his back, he quickly removed it and threw the lifeless body to the ground.

The remaining guard stopped his horse when he saw his comrade fall to the ground. Then seeing movement at the end of his vision, he noted Mikan struggling to get to the bridge. Smirking at Natsume, he dug his heels into the sides of his horse and it ran with a great speed towards Mikan.

_No way are you stealing her from me!_ Natsume clicked his tongue in a sequence and the horse started running.

Ruka who was watching from the other side of the bridge saw how the soldier was charging down towards Mikan as she struggled to crawl back to the bridge. Seeing how Natsume's horse was going to be slower, he activated his alice.

"_Horse-san, if you reach the princess first you'll be set free from all this killing."_ Natsume's horse then started to gallop even faster than it ever had and soon it was on par with the soldier's horse.

"Give up now! What is there in it for you by helping them escape?" The soldier shouted over the rushing wind.

"I hate it when people command me around." Natsume noted the braid that was swinging wildy in the air. It had 2 light blue beads indicating that he was a low ranking officer. "GET UP MIKAN-HIME AND STAND THERE!" Natsume shouted.

Urging his horse to go faster, Natsume's horse suddenly pulled front of the soldier. In his frustration the soldier kicked the horse even harder but the horse slowed down to a gallop.

Seeing as to how the horse was slowing down, Ruka smiled and praised himself for thinking of such a reason to make the horse slow down. _"You can kick him off your back if you slow down. I can see he mistreats you."_

Sheathing his sword and dagger, Natsume released his right hand from the reigns and leaned over to the side of the horse Mikan was going to be on and stretched out his hand. Grabbing her round her waist, he hoisted her up the horse and galloped to the other end of the bridge.

"Ruka…" Natsume began once he slowed down but Ruka brushed him off.

"I know. For tonight's entertainment please watch the remaining soldier!" Ruka activated his alice and instructed the horse to kick his owner off his back. Once the instructions went through, the horse thrashed around violently and its rider fell off. The horse then let out a satisfied snort and trotted across the bridge into Ruka's arms.

"Wow, that's a great misuse of your alice." Natsume jokingly teased his friend. Ruka replied by bowing low as a smile appeared on both the princesses faces.

The indignant soldier drew his sword and rushed across the bridge. "You'll never get away with this! Mocking me and getting away! I'll get you even if I'm doing it alone!" The man screamed.

Natsume looked at the man with a bored look and taunted, "that's if you can get to us. Idiot."

The man rushed up to where Natsume drew the line before he flew backwards, and his body had a slight electrocution. "What the…" The soldier moaned as he rubbed his sore body.

"Tch, another brainless one in the army; I thought things would have changed." Natsume spoke to Ruka before turning his attention back to the man, "this forest is protected and they don't like humans waving around their swords. You, who stupidly did that, do not have permission to enter."

Removing a small dagger from his pouch, the man suddenly threw it with all his might at Mikan but Natsume's reflexes were faster and he blocked it with his scabbard. However, he could not prevent the ricochet as the dagger sliced his forehead, injuring him slightly before falling to the ground.

There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at Natsume who stood rooted to the ground. In one quick movement, he withdrew his own dagger and released it from his grasps, allowing it to plunge into the soldier's throat. The soldier clutched his throat and suffocated on his own blood while Natsume used the back of his hand to wipe the trickling blood from the wound.

Pulling his headband lower, he applied pressure to the shallow wound before urging the group to continue on.

* * *

Hotaru landed her flying device in the middle of the grassland and dismounted it. Urging Misaki to get off, she opened the seat and underneath was a large cloth. Laying it on the ground, she pressed a button on the duck mobile and it opened up to a small tent.

"Get in. We're going to rest the night." Hotaru asked Misaki.

Misaki opened the small bag beside her and took out some food, "here, you should probably eat something before you pass out. I won't be able to operate that queer contraption of yours if you're unconscious."

Staring at the piece of bread in Misaki's hands, Hotaru took it slowly and started to munch on it. She chided herself mentally; the more time she spent here, the further her friend was getting away.

"The sleeping bags are warmed, if you must know." Hotaru spoke up after seeing Misaki shiver as the cool breeze blew by.

Both ladies looked up in the sky and quickly finished their bread before snuggling into the heated sleeping bags. Allowing themselves to fall into a deep sleep, they knew that they should hurry and reach Mikan, but for some reason, her dot on the device was covering more ground than Hotaru had expected.

* * *

"_They're on their way to find her." Yuu Tobita trembled while standing in front of the council._

_The group murmured with the disturbing news._

"_How is the situation?" One of the elders spoke up._

_Yuu bowed and turned to the elder, "not good sir. It seems that this time, it has found a worthy host. If my calculations are correct, we should be heading towards the same path as the ones before."_

_The murmuring grew louder._

"_Silence!"_

_The murmuring stopped._

"_Yuu, please inform her that she is to expect visitors…"_

"_But…" Yuu spoke up but he was met with a palm signaling no further explanation._

_Kami merely smiled and looked cheekily at Yuu, "but, we all know she would have foreseen this."_

* * *

**_Please do review once again! Thank you to all those who have been diligently reviewing each chapter and favourt-ing/ subscribing to this fanfic! I will try to get the next chapter out sometime this week (cross your fingers and pray hard for me please). _**

**_Replies:_**

**_adrienna22: Hello hello! Thank you for reviewing once again! Your review made me chuckle in amusement. :) Yeah Goshima will be playing some major role. Heh, it's only the beginning of the story, things will change. Yeah I took into consideration your review about the group getting too big, so I did minor tweaks here and there. Look out for Hotaru-Miksaki! :)_**

**_Gabsterela: Hi! With regards to which side they're on, well, what do you think? ^^ Keep reading to find out!_**


	9. Chapter 8: Mondai

**_Hello! As promised, here is a long chapter to make up for the hiatus period. ^^ Please R&R._**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Mondai; Questions**

After the night's events, Mikan stirred in her sleep. Waking up to the soft howling for wolves, she opened her eyes only to be met with a deep violet pair of eyes. Bolting upright, she backed all the way till she reached a tree.

_This is a dream…_

"_Mistress?"_

The girl her age knelt on the ground and looked puzzling at her. She was clad in a deep violet dress and had a silver shoulder length hair.

Looking around, Mikan noted that the rest of the group was still sleeping. The girl in the violet dress raised her hand in Natsume's direction and a bright light enveloped the entire group.

Once again, Mikan opened her eyes and this time she was in a vast plane of whiteness. She remember this place, it was where she saw Natsume's memories.

"You are Kami's sword?"

The girl with the silver hair nodded.

"Are you going to show me more memories?"

The girl nodded once again.

"Why? Natsume found out the last time and he wasn't very pleased with it."

Kami's sword played with the fabric of her dress, "I'm sorry, but you have to see them."

"But…" before Mikan could speak, she was thrown into another memory.

* * *

"_STEP RIGHT UP! SELECTION TEST FOR THE ARMY ARE COMMENCING RIGHT NOW! IF YOU FEEL YOU ARE A WORTHY CANDIDATE SIGN UP AT THE FRONT AND ENTER THE PARADE SQUARE FOR A TRIAL!"_

_A young boy at the age of 10 walked up to the table and wrote his name messily on the parchment. Drawing the thin cape around his neck tightly, he walked into the parade square. The clanking of amour and the clashing to swords filled the air. Standing with the group of hopeful applicants, Natsume pulled his big bag over his shoulders and waited for instructions._

"_Welcome, I trust you all have signed up for this selection because you feel that you can contribute something to this kingdom. You all have made the right choice, however, criteria for being a soldier are tough and not everyone is cut out for it. Despite having made it through this round, many drop out due to the sheer intensity of the training. But…"_

_The seasoned solider looked at the group of applicants and grinned, "If you're good enough, you get to serve the King and his family themselves" The older man suddenly stopped and yelled at someone behind the group, "Akira! Stop flirting with the palace maids or the next thing you'll be flirting with is my boots!"_

_The older boy around the age of 18 froze in his spot and looked at the commander._

"_Awww… you're being a sour pus. Just because you're waaayyy past the age of these young ladies and aren't entertained by them doesn't mean I can't enjoy their beautiful smiles. Besides, all I see every day are old geezers like you."_

_A vein popped in the man's forehead, "you cheeky brat. Get your butt right here now otherwise you're stuck with guard duty for the next three months."_

_The young boy ran as fast as he could and stood next to him._

_**That's Tonochi Akira, the youngest commander of the King's Guard.**_

"_**Correct mistress. Please continue watching."**_

_The older soldier cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the new applicants. "This guy here doesn't look like it, but he's one of the youngest in the army to get promoted to the King's Guard. He will be one of your testers for today's trial. You will be required to do 50m dashes, target practice and swordplay. If you pass these three, welcome to the army. If not, do not give up hope and try again next year!"_

_Tono looked around and beamed, "this year we have a wider range of applicants! So please place your belongings in the locker room behind you and put on the armor provided."_

_Natsume turned around and headed for the locker room but the older men shoved him out of the way._

"_Tch, brats should be at home playing rather than being here. Go back to where you came from."_

_Picking himself off from the ground, he dusted his pants before turning to see a pair of piercing light blue eyes._

"_Are you all right?" The boy was petting a small rabbit in his arms._

_Natsume nodded. "Are you here for the test as well?"_

_**Natsume and Ruka have known each other for a long time huh.**_

"_Yes. Let's go, we need to get our armor on." The blonde haired boy walked away and entered the changing room._

_Following closely behind, Natsume placed his bag into one of the lower compartments and looked to the table where different sized armors where placed. Picking up the smallest one he could find, he placed the leather breast plate over his body and secured it with the straps. Taking one of the vambraces he attached it to his small arms and decided that that was all he needed._

_Tono appeared at the door and asked the group to gather at the parade square once again. Lining up, he gave instructions for the task._

"_The selection trials shall commence. No one is to use their alice to aid them in any of the task. If you do, you are immediately disqualified. We have nullified the entire test area so don't think of trying to use it secretly."_

_One of the applicants raised their hands, "Shouldn't you be testing our alices as well? Doesn't having an alice puts us at a higher advantage?"_

_The seasoned soldier stepped into answer the man's question, "Having an alice is an advantage, but in the army, having one doesn't mean you're excused from the training. We need all soldiers to be of uniform fitness and have the same training. Your alice and its uses will be an asset later on if it is required."_

_Tono looked gratefully at the elderly man and continued, "this is a 50m dash. As you know, soldiers are required to make quick dashes during battle. With the armor you are wearing, please try your best to make it below 9 seconds."_

_Lining up, each applicant tried their best to make their timings below 9 seconds, however some with too much armor had a difficult time and were immediately dismissed from the test. Natsume was one of the few which made it pass the first round._

_The second round was the target test and Natsume once again passed with ease. With each test, the group got considerably smaller and smaller, with only 40 remaining, they were paired up by drawing lots._

_Natsume drew a stick with a yellow end and looked around for the person who was to face him in the swordplay test. Walking towards him, the man who shoved him early loomed over the small boy._

"_Well well, this would be easy. Good luck, you'll need it all." The man in his early thirties smirked at the young boy and walked to the middle of the stage. There were 5 stages and each stage was judged by a teacher who would grade you on your technique and agility. Once again, Natsume was faced with a choice of choosing a wooden sword with a broad blade, or a wooden sword similar to a rapier, a thin bladed sword._

_Facing his opponent with the thinner and lighter wooden sword, the teacher blew the whistle and his match began. The point was to avoid getting hit and to get as many hits as you could off your opponent in 2 minutes. Being smaller, Natsume was able to dodge most of the clumsy strikes the man was able to deal, but that small size was a disadvantage when he was hit. The man was much bigger than he was and the blows he dealt made Natsume wince in pain._

_However, that did not stop him, each time he fell to the ground, he got up and hit the man twice in the areas which he was weak at. At the end of the 2 minutes, he had pinpointed all the man's weaknesses and was able to come out relatively unscathed of the stage. Looking to the teacher to see who had the most hits, the teacher tallied the scores and told them to wait till everyone had completed their task._

_Natsume deposited his sword and the pain which he ignored now came back at a full force and he winced in pain._

"_I hope those marks won't last." The man passed that snide remark before dropping off his sword and getting a drink._

"_**Bastard"**__ Natsume thought when he looked at the places he got hit. The areas were beginning to swell and were a light green in colour. It was going to take some time for the bruises to disappear._

_Sitting down with the rest of the applicants, the test was finally over and Tono began reading out the names of those who were enlisted._

"_Nogi Ruka…" The blonde haired boy stood up and walked over to where the older soldier was waiting._

"_That's the physician's son. It's obvious he would get in, he has connections…"_

_Rumors and comments were being passed around. A few other names were called out but Ruka just stood beside the commander and continued petting his rabbit._

"_Hyuuga Natsume"_

_Natsume's head shot up and he looked at Tono in surprise._

"_Look another kid… are they really that good?"_

_The man who was his sparring partner stood up in an indignant manner, "why is that brat selected while I am not? I demand to know the reason why!"_

_Tono flipped to the page with the assessor's comments and read out loud, "Despite being small in stature, Hyuuga-kun was unable to deal full strength blows to his opponent and was overwhelmed quickly in the beginning of the test. He sustained multiple blows and was indeed close to defeat."_

"_See! I should be…"_

"_Allow me to continue sir," Tono spoke up with a commanding voice, "However, his small stature was used to the fullest with the fact that he was able to nimbly avoid 95% of the blows after he has detected the opponent's weakness. For someone that young, I was impressed by his quick analytical skills to pinpoint that the opponent often had a weak defense and took time to recover after a strike. Though he lost by a few hits, I feel that he is an asset to have in the army."_

_The man stood agape, unable to absorb what he just heard._

"_Natsume-kun, if you sit there any longer, I presume you would forfeit your place to another applicant?" Tono looked at the raven haired boy and winked._

"_**Mistress… we have ran out of time. Natsume-san is awaking from his dream state. Please keep yourself safe. Also, I have healed the wounds on your body and your companion's bodies."**_

* * *

Mikan immediately threw her eyes opened and expected to find Kami's sword in her human form in front of her, but she was met with the soft rays of the sun.

"_Another memory huh."_

Beside her, Natsume tossed uncomfortably in his sleep and sweat drenched his forehead. Mikan slowly stretched out her hand in order to push the lock of hair that escaped from the headband aside. However, just mere inches away from his face, Natsume grabbed her hand suddenly and brought a dagger to her throat.

Looking once again into the crimson eyes, Mikan noted a mixture of anger and fear.

Natsume stared at the brown orbs and saw his own face reflected back at him. Once the fog in his mind cleared, he registered that he was threatening the princess and relaxed his hand. Sheathing the dagger, he used the back of his hand to wipe away the sweat.

He felt someone poking around in his memories again, but this time, he did not see what memory they were looking at. _Most likely the princess again. How is she gaining entry into my memories?_ But those thoughts were immediately cast aside. Natsume was plagued by a more frightening dream. He looked around and realized that he was all alone in a void of darkness.

As much as he tried running, he could never seem to find the exit he wanted. Then suddenly, there was a sharp pain from his back and he crouched down and hugged his body. The intense pain was like fire searing his skin and he wanted it to go away. As soon as the pain stopped, he felt the presence in his mind leave but felt someone approaching him. With his trained reflexes, he grabbed the perpetrator by the arm and pressed the dagger to his throat.

Getting up to stretch his tensed muscles, Natsume's hands quickly flew to his back where the pain was but his touch did not detect anything out of place. Letting out a small sigh of relief, he turned to MIkan and asked the question that plagued his mind.

"How are you assessing my memories? As far as I know, you don't have an alice that could give you assess to one's mind. How are you doing it?"

Mikan was taken aback by the question. She noted how flustered Natsume looked when he released her arm and started stretching. Then she saw his face relax into relief when he felt that there was nothing wrong with his back. She just looked at him, never expecting him to ask her anything.

Unsure whether she should tell him that Kami's sword has been giving her access to his memories, she replied, "I'm… I'm not sure myself. I just wake up to a dream and find that I'm in this plane of light. Then I'm just thrust into one of your memories."

Natsume was getting uncomfortable at the fact that a complete stranger was wondering around his memories. There are some things there that he had locked away and buried. Having someone who could walk around so freely and accidentally release those memories was something he absolutely did not want.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't wonder around too much. There are some things not meant to be seen." Natsume reproached her.

Mikan winced at his acidic voice, "I… I don't have a choice in that. Like I said, I don't choose what memory I see, but rather, it just randomly shows."

Looking at the princess hugging her legs, Natsume soften his voice, "which memory did you see this time?"

Mikan looked up in surprise, _wasn't he able to tell which memory I've been in?_

"Er… the one where you were selected for the army."

_That one's all right. Now I seriously want to get this over and done with. I don't want any more of my memories shown to her._

"All right. Wake up your sister and Ruka. I'm going to get us breakfast then we'll move. We'll be able to reach the 'Voice of God' by sundown." Natsume instructed before grabbing his crossbow and the quiver of arrows beside it.

* * *

Koko and Yoichi were rudely awoken from their evening nap by the racket caused by the soldiers.

"Ugh…" Koko moaned and rubbed his eyes, "why are they marching around for? They sound like elephants."

Yoichi stifled a yawn and sat up in his makeshift bed. He really disliked sleeping on these beds for they were as hard as stone. Straining to hear the commands given out, Yoichi could make out the words 'patrol', 'barricade' and 'princess'. Suddenly, he felt a dark and piercing aura approaching the tent they were housed in.

"Senpai, get up. Goshima is coming to give us our orders. It seems a patrol group found something." Yoichi warned Koko and shoved his feet into his boots.

Koko immediately shot out of bed and pulled on his white muslin shirt over his head.

"He's here." Yoichi whispered and quickly picked up the book by his bedside and flipped it open to a random page.

Goshima threw the flaps of the tent open and noted that the younger captain was sitting on his bed reading a book while the older one was busy looking around for his other boot.

"Captains." Goshima spoke up and the two captains stood to attention. "I need you two to investigate something. We have reports that a patrol group was taken out by the bridge leading to the forest. I want you two to go down and inspect, then report back any findings that you have. You are also given permission to track down the princesses. That is all."

The two captains shouted a loud "Yes sir!" and saluted, waiting for him to leave the tent. Goshima turned around to leave but stopped in his tracks and added in one more instruction, "On second thoughts, be ready in 10 minutes, I will inspect the site with you."

With the final words, Goshima departed the tent and Koko immediately stuck out his tongue.

"I can't stand that man. His presence made me have multiple rounds of goosebumps. Look Yoichi! The hair on my neck is still standing!"

Yoichi rolled his eyes and started packing his things into a small knapsack. "Koko-sempai, we have to be careful. We have not reported to the higher ups about _him._"

Koko became serious and sat on his bed, "you're right. With Goshima there, it'll be hard to hide the evidence that a fourth person is travelling with them." Then breaking into a boyish grin, Koko continued, "Well, just tell a white lie if we need to. Besides, I can cover up for you if you make any slips in your report."

The book Yoichi was reading soon found its new home on Koko's face.

* * *

Arriving at the scene, Yoichi and Koko both dismounted their horse and passed it to one of their subordinates. Walking towards the group of soldiers crowding round the end of the bridge leading into the forest, the officer in charge saluted and gave them a quick break down.

"At ease. So what's going on?" Koko asked while looking around.

"As you can see, the bodies of the dead are over there," the man indicated to the bodies laid out in a line behind the captains, "and there's one more body over there."

"Who's he?" Yoichi asked.

The officer turned round for a quick glance before continuing, "he's the sergeant, highest ranked in the patrol group."

"And the issue you have now is…?" Yoichi looked questioningly at the group of men at the edge of the bridge.

"Well sirs, we have some issues crossing the bridge." The officer spoke in a rather confused voice.

Once again, the hairs on the neck of both Koko and Yoichi stood up as Goshima approached the trio.

All three men saluted and stood at ease when Goshima nodded.

"What is the meaning of this commotion officer?" Goshima growled at the young man.

Shivering with fear, the man repeated whatever he explained to the captains and awaited further instructions for the commander.

"It's just like the stories…"

"There's something in the forest…"

"The forest is protected…"

These short snippets of whispers caught the attention of the young captains and the commander.

"What are your men saying?" Yoichi questioned the already nervous officer.

Looking aside, the officer cleared his throat and continued, "there have been rumours. Rumours that the _'little girl'_ has been reincarnated and she is gathering the help of her retainers."

Goshima's eyes grew large before returning his composure, "this is absurd officer. Should I have you punished for starting unrest in the kingdom?"

"No sir, but… we are having trouble stepping foot on the bridge. It seems like there is some kind of barrier preventing us from walking through. Those with the barrier alice have reported that this is nothing they have experienced before."

Koko began reading the minds of those at the barrier and gave Yoichi a look, telling him that whatever the officer said was true. Bowing slightly, Yoichi left the group and began inspecting the bodies of those that had fallen.

"If so, why is it that the princesses and their royal guard could waltz across the bridge and leave behind this mayhem?" Goshima was growing impatient and the impertinence the officer was showing.

Looking for a reason why, there was a nagging feeling within Koko's head.

"Did your men approach the bridge with swords drawn?" Koko asked.

The officer faced Koko was a raised brow, "yes sir. When we arrived here the dead were strewn around and we were not sure if we would be attacked again. Then someone saw the sergeant's body on the other side of the bridge but as we rushed to reach him, we were all thrown back."

Koko smirked and walked to the edge of the bridge. The men at the bridge made way for their superior and stared at him. Taking a deep breath, he placed his hands by his side and took a step forward. Seeing how the young captain could cross the bridge, the rest tried to follow but they were repelled.

Goshima who watched the whole thing cocked an eyebrow up and spoke up, "Captain Yume, care to explain why you are able to cross over?"

Koko merely motioned for his superior to attempt to cross the bridge by himself before turning his attention to the dead sergeant.

_A clean cut to his windpipe and severe bruises on his body. He died suffocating on his own blood, probably knowing that he would die. The area around the wound is bruised, and the wound mark looks like he was hit with a dagger at full force. So either he was stabbed there or someone with very precise accuracy threw it. The kill looks clean overall._

Looking around for more clues, Koko noted 4 pairs of footprints and a few drops of blood at one of the footprints.

_Ah… one of them got injured, but judging from the foot size, I'd say it's a male. Ruka got injured? But the Royal Guards do not have training in dagger usages. They're only taught to use it at close range. So that means, it's __**that**__ guy huh._

The commotion that occurred at the end of the bridge drew Koko's attention once more. He saw that Goshima was unable to pass through the barrier and was sitting on the ground in frustration.

Getting up from his position, Koko walked to the other end while looking at Yoichi.

"_What did you find?"_

"_Arrow wounds. Most likely from a crossbow looking at the trajectory and the deepness of the wounds. Looks like they died on horseback as well. There are bruises that are turning up post-mortem. Also, I can't see the person riding the horse."_

"_So we came to the same conclusion." _Koko chuckled in his mind.

After a while, Yoichi spoke up as Koko reached the edge of the barrier, _"what do we tell Goshima?"_

"_We just say that Ruka did it."_

"_We're painting Ruka to be a very competent guard."_

"_Well… in a way he is and he has to be otherwise how could he be one of the Royal Guards?"_

"_Do you think Goshima will notice?"_

"_Nah, I don't think he remembers the training regimen of the Royal Guards. He has his hands full with the army."_

Stepping out of the barrier, Koko saluted once again and reported.

"Sir, the men are unable to enter the barrier because they harbour anger in their hearts. Also, they were raising their swords or clutching them, thus the forest deemed itself in danger and barred their entry."

"So you're saying that the forest has a life captain? You are saying that it is like the stories?!" Goshima shouted. _How dare this pesky boy humiliate me in front of all my subordinates?! I'm supposed to be cool and yet he exposed my inner feelings by hiding the truth of the barrier from me?!_

Koko scratched his head and Yoichi, who re-joined the group, threw him a glare, "I'm not saying that it is like the stories sir, but no one has ventured into the forest for a long time. It is possible for the plants themselves to be protective and generate their own defensive capabilities."

Goshima considered the boy's words before questioning the two captains further, "so what did you find about the body?"

"Commander Goshima, I found…" Yoichi began, while Koko secretly smirked to himself.

* * *

By sun down, the group finally reached a large cave entrance.

"She should be inside." Natsume spoke up after a long period of silence.

"She?" Sumire asked.

"The Voice of God." Natsume stretched the tensed muscle in his calves.

Even Ruka found it strange that Natsume would refer to the 'Voice of God' as a she. There were no evidence that it was a she and Ruka nor Mikan did not mention the 'voice' being a female.

"Natsume, how do you know it's a she?" Ruka voiced his thoughts.

"I…" _Wait, how do I know? I just spoke out after reaching our destination._

"_You have arrived."_ A female's voice resounded in all their heads.

"Did… did you hear that?" Sumire stuttered.

Everyone else nodded and looked to the darkness of the cave.

"_Mistress, she is inside. She will answer your questions." _A different voice resounded within Mikan's head.

"Someone is coming." Sumire suddenly said when her nose picked up an unusual scent.

Suddenly, a girl around their age dressed in a red hakama and a white haori appeared a few meters before them. Ruka and Natsume immediately drew their weapons and stood in front of the princesses.

"Who are you?" Ruka commanded.

The girl stretched out her hand and waved it slowly to the right. Immediately, their weapons flew out of their hands and hit the wall with a loud sound.

"We do not condone violence, but you have your reasons for drawing your weapon against us. We've been expecting you, Sumire-hime, Ruka-san and the long awaited pair, Mikan-hime and Natsume-san." The girl spoke in a calm tone.

"How do you know us?" Mikan questioned feeling a little uneasy as to how the girl knew about them."

"I know all that there is to know. You two princesses who have the same father but different mothers. One who suffers silently and one who is treated badly. I know of you two men as well, both of you having been best friends and shared the same fate. One who has all the knowledge and one who has none." The miko looked at the four of them in the eyes and watched their shocked expression.

"We have forseen this outcome and have prepared for it. Your weapons will be confiscated." The miko waved her hands and all traces of the weapons disappeared, including the ones that were hidden on Ruka and Natsume.

Mikan and Sumire both felt their katana and wakizashi disappear as well.

"Wait! You cannot take away the katana and the wakizashi! It was entrusted to us by our father!" Sumire shouted.

"Give us back the katana and the wakizashi!" Mkan cried out.

The miko merely shook her head. "I cannot do so. It is decreed that those who enter here may not bear arms. Do not worry, for I will see that they are not damaged and returned to you when instructed."

The two princesses stopped shouting and looked at the girl who stood there with complete composure.

All the while when the princesses were screaming, the Miko looked at Natsume and a sharp pain cut through his back just like his dream. Clenching his teeth, he restrained a gasp that almost escaped his lips. Then he saw numerous flashbacks.

"_Natsume!" His mother cried out to him as he ran towards the burning house._

_Someone was tying the braid that he kept hidden in his headband._

"_You will be entrusted with this girl. Protect her as you would your own life. You are now bound to her."_

_A man stood in front of Natsume and drove a sword through him._

Natsume came to his senses and saw that the girl was staring at him at the corner of her eyes, "Who are you?"

"Your questions will be answer. Now please this way. She has been waiting to speak to you."

* * *

**_This is a very Mikan/ Koko group centred chapter. If you have numerous questions in your head as to why this is all happening, it will be answered in the next chapter. Thank you for following with this fanfic so far._**

**_Replies:_**

**_gabsterela: Yuu... will appear sometime soon. haha but I'm not sure when. I'll try to bring him back into the story so that you won't forget about him. :) Well Sumire can't afford to be fangirl-ing when her life is in danger. She does fangirl but it's a short lived thing. I should be doing a portion from her point of view soon._**

**_mooshy3712: Hello! :) Thank you for taking the time to review. I hope you have been enjoying this fanfic so far. If you have any queries please don't hesitate to voice them out because I'm sure what you're thinking is probably what the other readers are thinking. ^^_**

**_adrienna22: Did I mention that receiving reviews from you just fuel me to write faster and make the plot more juicier? I'm glad that you mentioned the fight scenes being detailed and that you follow them. Most of the time, the scenes in my head don't turn out the way it does to others when they're reading it. Hotaru and Misaki will be featured in the next chapter, so look out for it!_**


	10. Chapter 9: Shinro

**Chapter 9: Shinro; Direction**

"_Yuu! Have they reached her yet?" One of the higher ups yelled menacingly at the messenger._

_Yuu trembled and gave a shaky reply, "Y…yes…"_

"_Then things are proceeding as they should."_

* * *

Walking deeper into the cave, Mikan felt her eyes growing tired as they tried to adjust to the low light. The four of them were weary of the miko they were following but while not having any weapons to defend themselves, they had not much of a choice but to follow her.

"We are close." The miko's voice resounded in the deep cave.

Then within a few steps, they entered into the main cave and were greeted by fresher air than the stale one they were breathing in. The soft glow of a few algae was bright enough to illuminate the large space. In front of them was a small shrine adorned with flowers and kneeling on the ground was a woman in her late twenties with the same attire as the miko.

Upon hearing footsteps approaching her, she lifted her head and stood up. Bowing towards the shrine, she immediately looked at Mikan with her piercing brown eyes and walked towards the table with a crystal ball.

"Yura, you haven't been treating our guest nicely." The older miko chided her apprentice with a silky voice.

The miko named Yura bowed and moved behind the shrine.

"Forgive my apprentice; she's not good with words." The older miko regarded the group and smiled gently. "Please, do take a rest, you have travelled far."

At this, Yura returned to the group with four pillows that they could sit on. Once they were seated, Yura spoke.

"My name is Yura Otanashi. This person here is Serina Yamada. Just as Yamada-sensei has mentioned, I am her apprentice and we have received instructions from Kami to guide you in your journey."

Sumire looked at the two miko's and spoke up, "You mention Kami, meaning you can hear his voice?" _Do they worship him?_

"Yes we can and yes we worship him. He is the one who bestowed us with our gifts so we should be thankful towards him, Sumire-hime."

Mikan looked at the elder miko and voiced her question, "How do you know about us when we don't even know about you?"

Serina looked at the young girl and pushed back a lock of her hair which slipped from her ear.

"We know because we are told. You cannot hide from the eyes of the ones above. You may find it strange because we have never ventured beyond this cave, but we hear Kami's voice everywhere."

"Then where is the 'Voice of God'?" Natsume interjected, irritated by the long winded speech.

The elder miko glanced in the direction of the voice and smiled when she laid eyes on him.

"Natsume Hyuuga."

Natsume raised an eyebrow. After the recent events, this unknown lady knowing his name was no longer a surprise. In fact, he was waiting for her to answer his questions.

"I presume, you have not told them of _**that**_ yet."

"And what might _**that**_ be?" this was no time to be playing games.

Serina looked at the young man and tapped the side of her head, "I know what you hide. However, it is your secret to bear and it is you who will choose whether to share it or not."

Ruka looked questioningly at his best friend. What was he hiding? Was there something that Natsume was hiding that he could not even share the burden with his friend?

"_Of course, why would he want to share something with me after I, who was his 'best' friend, didn't even believe in his words."_ Ruka thought sadly to himself.

"King's Guard Ruka Nogi. Do not berate yourself for your distrust. We are human and it is only natural that we falter under pressure. Having blind faith is not necessarily a good thing, but you will learn from that experience. You are growing." Ruka looked up from the ground and stared at the oracle with mouth agape.

Sumire and Mikan looked at each other, what was the secret past between these two men that were travelling with them? Why did they not know what was going on?

Serina looked at the puzzled looks on the princesses' faces and smiled, "I am the Voice of God. I hear God's voice and I channel it to those who deserve to hear it. You, who have travelled far, have not travelled in vain. I will answer your questions, even those you do not voice out."

Looking at Sumire first, Serina began voicing out her inner thoughts, desires and questions.

"You want to know why is it Mikan is loved more than you in the palace despite your rank being higher than hers. You want to know if you are beginning to become like your mother, cruel and twisted. You want to know your part in this journey. You want to know why you are together with your sister rather than her being the sole heroine. You…"

"Stop. Please do not say anymore." Sumire whispered.

The thoughts which she had pushed into the abyss of her mind were being voiced out by this woman. It is true that she was jealous of her sister and wanted to know what part she had in this journey. She always felt uneasy that the servants wanted to treat Mikan better than her but could not do so for the fear of her mother. She sometimes if these feelings would push her into the darkness her mother had. Sometimes she felt like she was an unwanted presence, that no one needed her. The villagers loved Mikan and never acknowledged her.

The only comfort she had in the last few weeks was the wakizashi that was attached to the side of her hip. Despite everything, the sword still acknowledged her presence and chose to spilt itself into two so that she had some part in all of this.

Serina looked to the older princesses and began voice out the inner secrets of her heart.

"You want to know why you were born into your rank as a princess. Sometimes you wish you could disappear but deep down you feel a strong unknown calling to survive, to stand against anything that is thrown at you. You want to know why you were chosen as the bearer of the main sword, you who have no alice unlike your sister. You want to know if the rising feeling of revenge in your heart is clouding your judgement."

Mikan stared at the miko. She was not a force to be trifled with.

Serina looked to Yura who nodded her head. Then after the long period of silence, she broke the stillness. "You have a long journey. Please take a bath at the spring in this cave. It has healing properties and your fatigue will disappear. I will tell each of you the purpose of why you are here after you have replenished your energy."

Smiling, she motioned the two men to follow Yura while Serina led the two ladies to the small spring deeper in the cave.

* * *

Once again, Koko and Yoichi were tasked locating the princesses by the furious commander Goshima. After a day's ride to and fro from the castle, Goshima asked commander Mihara to accompany the two younger captains in their task.

No matter how much both the captains complained about the way Goshima goes around carrying out his orders, they could not compare it to the way Mihara did his. Known throughout the army as 'Medusa', he was relentless when it came to punishing his subordinates. Also, those who had worked with him long enough nicknamed him 'Hound Medusa' for his astounding abilities to flush out criminals and capture them with his alice.

Izumi had always aimed for the people to be treated with fairness, allowing criminals to have a fair trial, but this did not hinder Mihara from twisting that orders. He allowed his prisoners to a fair trial, after they have suffered a lost in a limb or two.

The small group of 20 marched into the forest, with their weapons hidden, but after they had passed the boundary of the barrier, Mihara ordered them to take up arms and search the perimeter of the forest.

"_They have nowhere to hide. The next village is in another 50km. Even if they have a day's head start, they will have difficulty going pass these thick hedges._

Riding their horses through unchartered terrain proved difficult initially, but the men soon got used to it. After riding for a few hours, Yoichi noticed something on the ground. Urging the rest to continue on, he nudged Koko and they both dismounted their horses.

"Looks like someone made camp here. The marks of the pins are still quite deep. They haven't gotten far." Yoichi said while scanning the ground for other clues.

"The tracks look like two women." Koko murmured. This was not adding up, where was Ruka and their mysterious helper? Why have the tracks reduced.

Yoichi interrupted his thoughts, "looks like the tracks disappear. Either they got smart and started covering their tracks or… they flew?" Yoichi added in jokingly.

Suddenly a menacing aura appeared behind them, "the young captains taking a break?" Mihara slurred.

Koko and Yoichi immediately stood up and salued.

"No sir. We found footprints. It seems that the princesses were around recently." Koko reported.

"But the tracks disappear. So we have no idea which way they were heading." Yoichi added

"Good… we're catching up to them." The older man smirked before barking out orders. "No one is to rest until we have found clues of the princesses' direction!"

* * *

Mikan and Sumire sat in the warm waters of the spring and their tired muscles slowly relaxed. It has been weeks since they were able to get a decent bath. Most of the time, any form of water found was immediately placed in their waterbags. If there was extra, they would use it to wash their faces and wipe down their bodies.

Using the plants that were provided, they were able to remove dirt and any smell from their hair and bodies. Siting in the water, each remembered what the miko had told them.

"Sumire, about that the miko said… is it true that you were envious of me?" Mikan asked.

Sumire looked into Mikan's eyes and let out a sigh.

"There were times where I didn't understand how you could be so well loved. Sometimes I wished for that love myself."

"But no one treats you badly," Mikan thought back on all the times which she was beaten by her mother or by random servants, "You were never physically or mentally abused."

Sumire thought for a while before answering, "That's true. But despite that, my mother didn't love me. I was just a child born out of a loveless marriage. She made sure you suffered, but that didn't mean that I lived a happy life."

Silence enveloped the two and the only sound heard was the constant dripping of water from the small waterfall.

"I'm sorry. You were suffering more than me, it was wrong of me to harbor such thoughts which seem so much more childish and insignificant when compared to what you were going through. Because of this, sometimes I wonder if the anger within me is making me into my mother." Sumire said while letting the water in her palm drip back into the spring.

Mikan moved closer to her sister and gave her a hug. "But with you there, you who were always watching out for me in your own way, it made the suffering a little better. Unlike the other servants who just acted the way others have, you never raised a hand nor treated me cruelly. You didn't take a side and even though I would have liked you to be on mine, it was the wisest course of action. You have the right to feel the way you are, but you are not becoming your mother. You have so much more compassion and kindness within."

Sumire hugged her sister tight and began to cry. She was relieved that someone told her that she what she always wanted to hear. She was happy that her sister still accepted her for who she is despite not standing up for her.

"I love you Mikan, for who you are. I never really cared that you didn't have an alice because this world seemed so cruel with it and yet with you, it really felt as if having an alice didn't matter at all. Please, if you have any trouble, please do not hesitate to confide in me. I will be there for you just as you have for me."

Mikan wiped away her sister's tears and looked at her shining green eyes, "We are in this task together for a reason. There was a reason you were given a part despite initially not being able to draw the sword out of the boulder. So, no more thoughts on being insignificant. You are needed."

Smiling, Sumire pulled on her sister's cheek and grinned, "with that all out, I feel so much better. Now… who do you fancy more?"

"_What was Sumire implying?"_ Mikan thought to herself as she watched her sister exit the pool and began drying off.

Seeing the confused look on Mikan's face, Sumire rolled her eyes and continued, "I mean, who do you think is more good looking? Ruka or Natsume-san?"

* * *

The boys allowed the warm water to run over their wounds and aching muscles. True to her words, the spring did relieve all tension and their wounds were beginning to heal. Sitting under the falling beads of water from the waterfall, Natsume was able to gather his thoughts.

"_She knows too much and will she keep her promise about keeping mum about __**that**__?" _Natsume began an internal war within his head. _"Wait, what was the __**that**__ she was referring to? Is it about my past? Is it about my memories? Is it about my dreams?"_

Ruka looked at his best friend and poked him, "Natsume."

The raven haired boy moved out from the waterfall and soaked in the clam waters of the spring.

"Are you going to tell them about that?" Ruka asked indicating to the three emerald beads in the braid Natsume kept hidden all the time.

Instinctively, his hand reached out to ensure that it was still there. It served as the only proof that he was fit enough to join the ranks of the imperial army. Natsume's eyes glanced towards the three crimson beads which contrasted against Ruka's blonde hair.

Natsume thought carefully, he had secrets he did not want revealed no matter what. This was one of them.

"No. It's not something to tell." Natsume finally replied.

"_But Mikan-hime would soon find out about it if she is going to access my memories whenever she likes. How is she doing it though? I'm sure I was sleeping with the barrier alice activated. Why is she able to penetrate it?"_ The more Natsume thought, the more questions surfaced in his mind. Did he really know the princess that well?

Ruka studied his friend who was deep in thought. Though they were of the same age, Natsume always seemed more reflective in his actions and did not trust as easily as he did. He was also more diligent and spent more hours on training, often training after hours secretly.

"_Haha, that was one hell of a time when he was still in the army."_ Ruka thought bitterly.

Feeling his hands grow wrinkly, Ruka motioned to exit the pool and Natsume followed closely behind him. However he got flicked in the forehead hard.

"Ruka, stop beating yourself over the past. What's done is done. No point in harping over it. Sure I was mad at you for that time but I've forgiven you. There were benefits living outside the army." Natsume said while pulling on his clothes. He could tell Ruka was thinking about the past by the way his eyes were unfocused and glossed over his surroundings.

"How did you…" Ruka began.

"Your eyes. They tend to go unfocused when you're reminiscing." Natsume explained.

"_There he goes using his unique skill." _A familiar feeling sprouted in Ruka.

"You'll always be my best friend Ruka, no matter what happens. You know me well enough." Natsume casually commented before exiting the cave with the spring, leaving a shocked Ruka midway of pulling his shirt over his head.

* * *

"I will now answer your questions. Basically you want to know your mission from here on." Serina looked at the four before continuing.

"Now for your mission…" Serina drawled on as she unrolled a very old parchment and motioned for them to come closer.

"A map of the surrounding lands of Nuru?" Ruka questioned the shrine maiden.

"Yes. But it is an older one."

Sumire tried her best to make out the cursive writing on the lands which were around the well-known Nuru Kingdom. "Aqua… Aria… Fuoco… Terra… Aren't these kingdoms gone?"

Serina shook her head and pointed to Terra. "Right now, you are all in the Terra kingdom, or what's left of it."

"What do you mean?" Mikan asked.

"Do you remember the story of how the world was created?"

How could the four of them forget? It was a classic fairytale told to children about their kingdom. It was rumored that lived on the land of that brave little girl. It was, till Mikan and Sumire inherited the swords.

"As time passed, the four kingdoms surrounding Nuru faded into history as they were no longer needed for protection. As Nuru experienced peace, people forgot about the brave battles fought. People forgot about the promise the four elements made to the little girl. However, just because people have forgotten, it does not necessarily mean that the four elements do not exist. If they didn't, you wouldn't be here right now." Serina began her explanation.

"Till today, the four elements still serve the humans and the gift which they bestowed to their human counterparts is within these chosen people. Just as the little girl in the story had to gather the alice stones, you and your sister have to do the same." Serina looked to the two princesses.

Motioning to Yura, the katana and wakizashi was brought out. Serina unwrapped the purple cloth round both the swords and unsheathed them.

She pointed to the blade of the katana and the group moved closer, noticing that there were small grooves within the blade.

"What you are seeing now, were the place where the alice stones were once wielded. This is the first time the sword has split itself into two and thus as you can see, the katana has four grooves while the wakizashi only has two. In short, Mikan-hime, you are to collect four alice stones while Sumire-hime has to collect two."

Picking up their respective weapons, Mikan touched the grooves and voiced her question, "how are we to know which stones to collect?"

"In the story, it is stated that the little girl had mastery not only over the four elements but also over life and death. Which stones you two are to collect respectively is uncertain, only the sword knows."

"What about life and death? How are we to collect alice stones for them? There is no one living that controls these two!" Sumire asked exasperatedly.

The group once again hit a brick wall. What Sumire said was true. Only Gods had the power over life and death, they would never entrust such important matters to the hands of mere mortals.

Serina smiled gently at them, "You will know when the time comes. Besides, if you get stuck, the swords will help you. For now, I would point you in the direction of the Terra kingdom since you are already in its territory. Start from there and the sword will lead the way."

"What about the humans carrying these alices? What can you tell us about them?" Natsume asked as he studied the map.

Touching her chin, as if thinking how to phrase her answer, Serina finally answered Natsume.

"These humans have been isolated from society for a long time. Your logic and understanding would not equate to theirs. They will most likely be untrusting towards you, but if you can win them over, like the little girl in the story, you will succeed. Or rather, you have no choice in this matter. The fate of this world depends on you two, hime. If you choose to abandon your mission halfway, this world will fall to darkness and the terror that accompanies it is something that cannot be fathomed."

Mikan shuddered in her spot when the impact of Serina's words finally sunk into her. She did not have time to think about the larger picture and now when it was brought to light, this was no game where she could just pull out suddenly.

Natsume clutched his sister's alice stone in his pocket as he stared at the cursive word 'Fuoco'. According to the map, Fuoco was located in a dessert but not many people except merchants travel via the dessert for it is a perilous land. He could not shake the familiar feeling that welled up within him.

"_Hyuuga… Hyuuga…"_

The raven haired boy was suddenly drawn into a plane of blackness. In front of him, he saw the numerous sand dunes and in the middle, tents of various colours pitched. He saw he large castle made of sand stone standing magnificently amidst the sand. He felt the grains gently moving around his feet.

In another moment, he saw a young lady with black hair running around with a sheer red scarf over her head. She giggled and run at the same time, careful not to trip over the thick rug on the ground.

"Stop running please!" Someone pleaded with the lady, and she turned around to stick out her tongue. At that moment, Natsume caught a glimpse of her eyes despite having three-quarters of her face covered; staring back at him was the same crimson eyes he had.

"Natsume!"

Natsume jolted back to the present and turned to see Mikan putting a hand on his shoulder. She wore a worried expression and within her brown orbs, he saw that his face had gone pale.

Serina looked to the young man and nodded. She knew that he had just seen something but decided not to dwell on it.

"Do you all know the properties of an alice stone? How it is made and how it is used?" Serina looked to the rest.

Ruka and the two princesses nodded.

"An alice stone is made when one's lifespan is lesser than their alice capabilities. If they happen to perish before their alice is used up, they are turned into an alice stone. Similarly, if one uses up their alice before they perish, then they would have no more alice." Mikan explained.

"That is correct. Do you know why you can see the true natures of the alice stone Mikan and Sumire hime?" Serina continued.

Mikan and Sumire pondered, they had never really thought about why they could see the true natures of the stones. They just knew that they were not human by the aura they had around them and it did not surprise them whenever they saw a little child or a grown adult with such an aura walk past them.

"It is because you have seen death. Only upon seeing it, can you see their true natures. The more traumatizing and important the death, the clearer the image. This is why Ruka-san can only see a slight outline while the rest of you can see a person with their alice's aura."

Serina looked to the hole in the cave and noted the moon's position in the sky. Turning her attention back the four young adults, she imparted one last advice, "if you get stuck in your misson, the story that has been told to you would be your ultimate guide. It has all the clues you require, and if need be, consult the sword. I will pray for your safety and success. It is late, do rest here for the night and begin your journey tomorrow. You will need all the strength you can get."

Serina motioned for Yura to bring the four to their beds while she stayed back to consult the crystal ball on the table.

"_Hm… her best friend is on her way here, but there are people hot on her trail. Yuu did mention about another party arriving."_

The crystal ball then changed the scene to the palace in the Nuru kingdom. There she was met with the sight of Kuonji cruelly torturing his captives before storming out to discuss with people dressed in white.

"_Your ambition is clouding your heart Kuonji… even if you wanted to atone, you are too late."_

* * *

**_Hello readers! I hope this chapter has answered a few questions and generated a few more. ^^ This will probably be the last update for a while as I'm busy with exam preparations. I'm sorry if some of you find this chapter a bit long and draggy, I tried my best but I've been really tired. _**

**_Thank you to those who have reviewed and favourited this fanfic! I will continue working hard!_**

**_Now.. for replies!_**

**_gasterela: thank you for your compliments! haha, Koko and Yoichi's alliance will continue to blur. I'll do the Sumire POV soon!_**

**_mooshy3712: hello! Well this is a NXM so of course Natsume will fall for Mikan. :) the training will commence soon but it's not a permanent thing. :) Keep reading to find out more!_**

_**adrienna22: if I've said this can I say it again? I LOVE YOU! ^^ your reviews really fire me up! Thank you for the compliment. I'm sorry if this chapter is a bit drabby though, I've been trying to churn out a chapter before I get too busy and the quality isn't as good as I wanted it. :/ Goshima is Kuonji's right hand man so he has a keen nose. hope you've enjoyed this chapter!**_

_**cakeluver2: Hi! I hope this chapter has answered your question on who the voice of God is. The flashbacks are Natsume's memories. I hope I was clear about this in the fanfic, unless you were so excited that you were skipping lines (something I do when I read as well!) ^^v. Squealing is all right, I fangirl as well. Thanks for the review!**_


	11. Chapter 10: Nagusame

**Chapter 10: Nagusame; Comfort**

Mikan and company thanked the miko once again before setting out on their journey towards the location of the Terra alice holder.

Serina had given them the old map and marked down his likely location. She also warned them that this forest was not free of its dangers; if they were to insult the forest in any way, they would be punished.

Heeding her words, they pulled the backpacks they were carrying and walked towards their destination.

"May Kami watch over you." Serina and Yura bowed as the group left.

"Was that all we needed to do?" Yura asked her senior.

Serina looked forlornly at the group as they disappeared into the horizon, "That was all we could do. The rest is in the hands of those two princesses. Let's prepare for the arrival of our next guests."

* * *

Hotaru and Misaki had been travelling for half a day and they had finally reached a very large cave. Feeling the cool breeze being blown from its entrance, the duo stopped for a rest.

"_Why are you travelling so fast Mikan? Who are you with? Are you safe?" _Hotaru thought to herself as she took a sip from the flask she was carrying.

Turning the cap close, she comforted herself with the thought that no news was good news.

Hearing someone emerging from the cave, Misaki jumped back and pointed one of the baka guns Hotaru had lent her.

"Who's there?!" Misaki exclaimed.

The miko bowed and motioned for them to follow her. Uncertain about her character, Hotaru and Misaki followed the young girl in.

"Greetings Hotaru-san and Misaki-san." Serina smiled at the two ladies. "You are chasing Mikan-hime down. It regrets me to inform you that she has already passed by here and is on her way to find the alice stones that is required."

"What alice stones? Who is she with?" Hotaru coldly inquired.

Serina indicated for the duo to sit on the cushions that were provided.

"She is in good hands, both she and her sister. Now, I will explain their situation to you and your part in this quest."

Misaki looked around the large cave and was in awe at how the lighting was provided by the small glowing plants.

"They are heading towards the inner parts of the forest to meet with the ruler of these lands. Of course you will meet up with them there and aid them in their quest." Serina explained.

"How will we do that? Each time we come close to them, they suddenly take off at an amazing speed, almost as if they were riding on Hotaru's inventions rather than walking." Misaki exclaimed.

Serina's eyes twinkled with amusement, "You will because it has been foreseen. I will show you the way."

* * *

Kuonji stomped into the dungeon where the King's Guards were kept and yanked the young commander to his feet.

"Good morning, Kuonji, you bastard." Akira spat at his face and he was slapped hard in the face.

Kuonji wiped the spit from his face and glared at the smirking commander. He was furious because reports had come back saying how the princesses were escaping further into the woods. He knew that they were travelling at a pace unlikely to untrained and unexposed people. Reports came back that there were 3 sets of footprints but something was bothering him.

"_Why are the wounds of the dead so clean? Ruka could have taken down a few, but it was unlikely that he was the sole reason for the growing body count. The only other thing I could think of is…"_

"Have you been training Mikan?!" Kuonji shouted at the bruised Akira and the rest of the King's Guard flinched at the loud voice.

Akira looked a Kuonji and chuckled, "what makes you think that?"

Kuonji gave him another blow to the face and the young commander spat out the metallic blood in his mouth.

"Ruka can't be the only one who's killing off my men, someone must have trained that girl." Kuonji grabbed the collar of the tattered shirt Akira was wearing and pulled him up.

"So… the body count is piling up. I applaud Ruka and his skills. It was not a mistake to assign him to be the protector of the princess."

Once again, another blow was dealt and Akira buckled with the pain that surged through his body from his stomach. His subordinates looked on in hopelessness as they saw their commander being beaten up.

"I'll ask again Akira, have you been training the princess?"

"Which princess?"

"Don't play coy with me Akira." Kuonji hissed dangerously.

Akira looked Kuonji squarely in the eyes and responded, "Why would she receive training from us? Isn't she an unwanted princess? What use would there be in imparting self-defense techniques to her since everyone kept her on such short leash, or rather, everyone else wants her dead?"

Kuonji threw the commander against the stone wall and stormed out of the small cell.

"Cut their food and water by another half. We'll see if he still dares to talk back to me." Kuonji angrily commanded the guards on patrol.

"Akira-sama, are you all right?" The King's guard closest to him asked.

"I'm fine. That beating was nothing compared to what the old man used to dish out on me." Akira joked while spitting out another mouthful of blood.

"_Please be safe Mikan-hime. We will endure this torture for you. Please carry out your task safely."_

* * *

Natsume studied the map that Serina gave them. According to his calculations, they would reach the supposed Terra palace in 3 days, considering how fast they were able to move. Looking up at the sky, he noted that they had already travelled for three quarters of the second day and should be finding a place to rest. Luckily they were in the forest and had plenty of locations which they could rest at.

Closing his eyes and tuning out the noisy footsteps the two princesses were making, he focused his attention on the sounds in the environment. He took a deep breath and picked up the scent of moist mud. His ears picked up the sounds of rushing water.

"_River? Stream?"_

Then his nose picked up another scent, the scent of pine trees. Opening his eyes, he grinned before turning to the party.

"We're stopping here for tonight. Ruka, you want to go foraging for some wood we could burn? I'm going to go hunting for food."

Sumire and Mikan looked at each other, "we should help out."

Natsume raised an eyebrow at the dark green haired princess.

"Help?"

Sumire crossed her arms in front of her body defensively, "yes help. We can't continue on like this, with you two doing everything. Mikan and I have decided to learn. With that said, I will help Ruka since I'm no good with the bow and arrow and whatever tools you use for hunting."

"Uh huh…" Natsume thought hard. Sure the princess was making sense; they could get more done if the two of them had more knowledge of their surroundings. "All right then. Ruka, do teach Sumire-hime the different kinds of wood there is to be collected when starting a fire. Mikan-hime, as your sister so aptly pointed out, you are going to go hunting with me."

Slipping the bags off his shoulder, Natsume grabbed his crossbow and the quiver of arrows. He began his trudged through the forest before sensing that he was the only one moving.

"You coming?" His crimson eyes flashed with irritation at the brunette.

Mikan snapped out of her daze and dropped off her belongings before hurrying after him, "sorry, we didn't expect you to agree so fast."

"Why? You sisters made a reasonable request. I'm a reasonable man and I don't say no to extra help. Now firstly, tell me where we are?"

Mikan stopped in her tracks. _"Seriously? Is he taking me for an idiot?"_

"The forest?" Mikan replied.

Natsume rolled his eyes at her response, "yes your highness, we are in a forest. Can you tell me _what_ kind of forest?"

Mikan looked around at her surroundings. There were so many trees but she picked up a faint smell.

"Pine…?"

"Good." Natsume commented before moving ahead. "How did you identify it?"

"The smell. It's familiar to me, especially around Christmas." Mikan replied while trying to step where Natsume was stepping.

"Hmm…" Natsume hummed while keeping his eyes peeled for signs of animal movement. Finally entering the boundary of pine trees, he caught sight of what he wanted to see.

"Yukihira-hime…" he began.

"You can call me Mikan. Without the hime. Our difference in status will not aid us in this journey. It's also faster to just call me Mikan." The brunette looked towards him and stated.

Once again, Natsume's eyebrows raised. "That's a first. Ok then, _Mikan_, this is a rabbit's burrow." He pointed to a hole in a small hill.

Mikan examined it quickly and entered the image to her memory. "How do you know? It could be a badger."

"_This girl's smart."_

"True… but you see those droppings?" Natsume indicated to the small round pellets on the ground, "They're rabbits. Badgers' are… sloppier." He could not find a better word to describe it.

Letting out a giggle, Mikan quickly pressed her hand to her mouth.

The ends of Natsume's mouth twitched up, "it's been a while since you laughed. A first if I should say."

Mikan could feel the heat building up in her face. Was it that long since she last laughed? Was he observing her that closely?

Clearing his throat, Natsume followed the footprints indented in the soft compost of the leaves. Seeing brown ears twitching in between the tall grass, he motioned Mikan to follow closely behind him quietly.

Nodding in response, she crouched down low and once again mimicked Natsume's movement. Despite all her training with the King's Guards, something about Natsume's smooth strides told her that he was much more advance than the guards she trained with. At most, Akira-senpai and Ruka were the only ones who could match up to his level of mastery; that just being crouching alone.

Natsume pulled the bow over his head and pulled the string all the way back before a soft click was heard. Showing this to Mikan, he drew out an arrow and placed it in the groove with another soft click. Mikan nodded in response that she had learnt how to use the bow.

Raising it to his eyelevel, he targeted the unsuspecting prey and lightly squeezed the trigger. In a blink of an eye, the arrow found its target and a muffled thud was heard.

Standing up to allow the blood to flow back to his feet, Natsume placed the bow on his shoulders before walking over to the dead rabbit. Pulling out the arrow from its small body, he flicked the blood away before returning it to the quiver at his side. Picking up the rabbit by its ears, Natsume turned to show Mikan his success.

However, instead of seeing an impressed princess, he saw how pale her face had gone, even in the setting sun.

"Yukihira-hime? Mikan-hime?!" Natsume rushed over to her side.

"No… no…" Tears started streaming down Mikan's face.

Placing everything on the ground, Natsume knelt in front of her and wave a hand.

"Mikan-hime?! Snap out of it!" Natsume was frantic. Her eyes were glossed over and tears wouldn't stop spilling out of her eyes.

"He's dead. He was killed, right there. A dagger sticking out of him. He's dead. HE'S DEAD!" Mikan started screaming as images of her beloved father flashed in front of her eyes. She could see his blood pooling around him, the expression of shock as colour drained from his face.

"Mikan! Calm down!" Natsume shouted over her screaming voice while grabbing her flailing arms.

"HE'S DEAD! HE'S GONE! WHY?!"

Not knowing what else to do, Natsume grabbed her and pulled her close. She struggled hard against his grasp, but he held her tight, stroking her brown hair.

"Shhh… it'll be all right. Everything's going to be ok."

Mikan sobbed and toned down, "he's gone, he left me… I'm already so lonely and now I'm really alone."

"Shhh… you're not alone. You have your sister, you have Ruka… now you have… me. I'll be here." The words slipped out his lips hesitantly, "everything's going to be all right. Calm down."

Mikan let out a soft wail and grabbed the cotton shirt Natsume was wearing. She cried her eyes out, she poured out her sorrow. Finally, everything that was bottled up was finally released.

Suddenly Natsume felt that this had happened before and a scene replayed in front of his eyes.

"_You've got to be kidding me, not now."_

While hugging Mikan, he looked afar and saw a small girl in the distance crying in front of a burnt down village.

"_They're all gone, they took everything from me. I'm alone, all alone now. Is this payment for causing Kami pain? Is he trying to inflict the same pain?"_

Feeling a surge in pain on his back, he bit his cheeks to keep himself from shouting out. Right now, he has to comfort the frail woman in his arms; his pain was something he could think of later.

* * *

Ruka's head whipped sharply behind him. Then he heard it, he heard wailing. Looking to Sumire to see if she heard the same thing, her pale face indicated that she heard it as well.

"Sumire-hime…?" Ruka began.

The sharp wailing freaked Sumire a little. Was the forest haunted? They were the only ones in the forest right? If that is so, then the one crying… "is it Mikan-nee?" Sumire whispered.

Ruka saw a bird flying past and raised his arm. The bird landed and started chipping. Nodding in response to the bird's song, it flew away after answering the questions Ruka had asked him.

"It is Mikan. It seems that she freaked out after seeing Natsume kill a rabbit. The scene most likely triggered memories of that night." Ruka explained.

"But… she seems so tough. She even had training with the King's Guards." Sumire began.

Ruka looked at the younger princess in surprise. How did she know that Mikan was receiving training from the King's Guards? Mikan had ensured that her training only took place at night, within the barracks of the guards. No one except those in the King's Guards knew that she was being trained, and that itself was a handful of people.

"Even the toughest people crumble once they see their loved ones dead in front of them. You seem to have coped better though. Aren't you plagued by the scenes?" Ruka enquired.

Sumire was shocked. She never thought about it. Perhaps she had pushed the scene to the deep recesses of her mind that she was never haunted by it.

"I don't know. I just don't think about it. It's strange that seeing a dead body never brought out that scene. Maybe it's because I've seen death before?"

"When?"

Sumire let out a sigh, "not many people like my mother and many have attempted to assassinate her. I guess when I was about 5, someone poisoned the maid that worked under my mother. I saw such a horrific scene then. Blood came out from every opening of her body and she just fell dead in front of me. I don't think anything could have beaten that scene."

"How…"

"Of course it was never reported. My mother didn't want news of the assassination to get out of hands. They were thought to be rumours and stayed that way till she passed on. But that scene scarred me for life." Sumire concluded.

Ruka rubbed his neck awkwardly. He was part of the King's Guard and that protection only extended to the King's direct heir and wife. Since Izumi lost his wife at a very early stage, that protection was only for the first heir, Mikan. Ruka never knew the hardships that Sumire and Luna-sama had to go through. He began pitying them.

"Don't pity us Ruka. That would be smearing the image my mother tried so hard to uphold."

Nodding in compliance, Ruka spoke, "how do you know that Mikan was receiving training?"

Sumire snorted, "I've always envied Mikan. She had such a blissful life compared to mine. Sure she was mistreated, but compared to the countless of deaths surrounding my mother and I, her life was a million times better than mine. I guess my mother felt that she had to treat Mikan badly to ease out the injustice she felt."

"You're not answering my question." Ruka looked at the princess while gripping the wood for the fire.

"I've followed Mikan once at night. Standing from the second floor, I saw her running across the courtyard towards the army's barracks, more specifically, the barracks for the King's Guards. Of course I went down to investigate and saw her training with Akira-san. But what surprised me was that I didn't know she was trained that well."

"She was a fast learner. She mastered each technique within a short period of time. But all we taught her were self-defence moves. We never taught her to attack because she would put herself out there, to save people she didn't need to." Ruka explained.

Standing up from the ground and brushing the dirt from her dark green breeches, Sumire picked up the wood she had collected and walked away from Ruka.

"Everyone's the same. They see Mikan as the perfect princess for the throne. Of course she's the first born, she has that right, but remember Ruka, she has no alice. The ministers will never accept her no matter how much the people love her." Sumire said acidly while walking away. The feelings of competitiveness rose within her. She never liked being compared to Mikan.

"But Mikan has been telling me that you are more suited. You may not be as strong as her physically, but she has always been envious of how you are able to keep composure in a critical situation. She's envious of how you are able to evaluate things from different points of view. She has always felt that her compassion, her empathy was her strength, but also her greatest weakness."

Sumire stopped in her tracks. Mikan never told her that despite them being fairly close. She has always tried to be the perfect princess, reading a lot, studying a lot, but everyone still loved Mikan. However, hearing what Ruka had told her, Sumire felt her hard work pay off to a certain degree. She felt satisfied, but most of all, she felt immense surprise.

* * *

Mikan and Natsume arrived at their meeting point long after the sun had set. They saw the soft glow of the fire Ruka and Sumire had managed to start. Seeing how Ruka was teaching Sumire about starting a fire and keeping it going, Natsume supported Mikan to the base of a tree before walking over to Ruka.

"Skin this will you?" Natsume handed the meat to Ruka and Ruka swiftly stripped the skin off the rabbit's body.

"Sumire-hime, pass me a thin stick from the pile will you?" Ruka asked the princess while slicing up the meat thinly on a rock.

Natsume opened his bag and took out a thin piece of linen. Pouring some of the water from his bottle onto the cloth, he walked back to Mikan with the moist cloth.

"Here," Natsume crouched down and handed her the cloth, "put it on your eyes. It'll help with the swelling."

Mikan had cried so much that her eyes were swollen and she literally had no more strength to walk back to the meeting point. She tried to keep it in and most of the time, barely maintaining her feelings. Seeing how Sumire was going strong, she could not just break down like that.

Placing the moist cloth on her eyes, Mikan immediately felt the cold cloth on her warm eyes. The temperature differences was significant but yet it brought great comfort to her eyes.

"Thank you." Mikan hoarsely said.

"Hm." Natsume grunted. Standing up to help Ruka cook the meat, he suddenly felt a tug on his shirt.

Whispering softly, Natsume crouched back down to catch what Mikan was saying.

"Please don't go. I don't want to be alone."

Natsume let out a sigh. He pressed the cold cloth onto Mikan's eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here but I need to help Ruka with the meat. You and your sister need more food in your sysem."

"Please…" Mikan whimpered.

Gently taking her hand, Natsume held them within his hands, "I will be here. Not more than 10 metres from you. I will be back as soon as the food is cooked. In the meantime, just rest all right?"

"_What happened to all the defences you were putting up with this princess? Are you letting them crumble just because she cried? Why are you softening up?"_ His conscious chided him.

He couldn't help it. Who would just leave a woman who they thought was so strong yet crumbled when they saw an animal being killed? Who would leave a woman wailing like that? This was the exception; the only exception. He had no more desire to be this compassionate anymore.

Putting her small hand on her lap, he patted it one last time before moving over to Ruka to help him.

"She cried really hard right?" Sumire questioned.

Natsume nodded.

Finally skewing all the meat, he began roasting them while Sumire stared at the flames entranced.

"How many more days till we reach the Terra kingdom?" Sumire snapped out of her trance.

"We should be there tomorrow. We're covering good ground." Nasume replied and passed her one of the skewers with the cooked meat.

"But the problem is that we've never been so deep in the forest, so how would we identify the palace?" Ruka voiced out his concern.

Passing him another cooked skewer, Natsume kept his eyes on the final two.

"Serina-san to look back to the stories we grew up with. Was there anything on the Terra stone?" Natsume asked.

"Deep in the forest, all the little girl could see was green. The deeper she walked, the more she got lost. However, Kami would not abandon her side. She was the chosen one and she was given signs. Following the wind and the direction of the leaves, she walked on and on. Deep in the forest, there she saw, the Terra element sitting on his throne." Mikan quoted while pulling the cloth from her eyes.

She got up and moved closer to the fire, sitting next to her sister.

"Deep in the forest… wind… direction of leaves…" Natsume picked out the important details. Passing Mikan the cooked meat, he bit one off from his own stick and pondered.

"We haven't smelt anything out of place since we've been in the forest." Ruka remarked.

"True. But remember, we are a day's journey away from the kingdom. We might see some kind of sign tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled. That means, everyone is to sleep. Ruka, I'm taking the first shift. I'll wake you up 4 hours later. The both of you," Natsume indicated to the princesses, "get as much rest as you can."

Both of them started protesting.

"But you said that we could help!" Mikan argued.

"We can wake up. Keep your word." Sumire contended.

"I am. '_She was the chosen one and she was given signs'_ didn't you say this Mikan-hime?" Natsume interjected.

Mikan nodded.

"Since you both share the responsibility of the chosen one this time round, only both of you would be able to pick out the signs. How are you to do that when you're tired and bordering on delusion? Go to sleep after eating."

Stuffing the last piece of meat into his mouth, Natsume threw his stick into the fire and kicked the crossbow into his arms. Clutching it tightly, he jerked his head in the direction of the base of a tree, indicating that the princesses should quietly get to sleep.

Throwing their own sticks into the fire, Mikan and Sumire grabbed their backpacks and used it as a pillow. Taking the cloaks that were inside the bags, they threw it over their bodies and closed their eyes. Succumbing to the sleep they needed greatly, the duo fell straight into a deep sleep.

"You. Sleep as well." Natsume indicated to Ruka.

"I will. Good night Natsume."

Natsume grunted in reply, keeping his eyes to the darkness of the forest.

"Thanks for comforting Mikan as well. She'd always keep her feelings from us. It's good that she finally found an outlet for it." Ruka murmured before falling to sleep as well.

"_Yeah yeah. I know. I could tell that much from the short time we've been together, but the real battle begins tomorrow."_

* * *

**_Hello tomadachi! I accidentally pressed the 'x' on this tab and all the replies to your reviews are gone! T.T but fret not, I will redo them!_**

**_Anyway, here's an update for hanging on to your seats! I hope you all are satisfied now! Thank you to those who reviewed and those who favourite this fanfic!_**

**_Replies:_**

**_michan-natsu: Thank you for wishing me all the best! I try to update when I can so don't drop this fanfic all right? :) I won't divulge more on Mikan because you will see her grow through the story. Keep reading!_**

**_adrienna22: Thank you for wishing me all the best! I was looking forward to your review! Sorry for the information overload, I tried my best to make it as clear as possible but sometimes, it doesn't turn out the way I want it to. About it reminding you of CCS, is it like collecting the cards? haha. The plot is loosely based on it I guess, and a CCS fanfic. Yuu is a tenshi, if you can't tell. He spoke with Kami. :) Though I don't quite understand where you got the idea that Mikan has 'mysterious unexplained powers'? haha. She is human- Full fledge. :)_**


	12. Chapter 11: Kyofu

**_Hello tomodatchi! This will be a more Sumire/ Koko & Yoichi orientated chapter, so bear with the switching between the both groups. Enjoy!_**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Kyofu; Fear**

The party of four trudged deeper into the forest and the first thing they noticed was the lack of sunlight penetrating through the thick forest.

"Are you sure we are going in the right direction?" Sumire asked for the second time, unable to shake the eerie feeling in her chest.

Natsume stopped and glared at the princess; he could tolerate some incompetency, he could tolerate insults but what he could not tolerate were people doubting him.

"We are Sumire-hime. The animals have told me so." Ruka immediately spoke up, trying to ease the tension in the group.

Mikan rolled her eyes at the pointless banter. They were in the middle of this forest and the only people they could trust was the one holding the map and the other who could verify our position.

Walking further ahead, she took a deep breath to calm herself down when she smelt something different.

"Do you smell that?" Mikan voiced out.

The rest stopped glaring at each other and took a whiff of the air.

"Is that…" Sumire began.

"… what I think…" Ruka continued.

"It's Forget Me Nots" Natsume concluded.

"Isn't it rare for such a flower to grow here? The scent is so faint that you wouldn't even notice it unless you paid attention to it." Mikan commented.

"Hm.." The rest nodded.

"_At least we're on the right direction." _Natsume thought to himself and took the lead once again in the direction of the scent.

* * *

Koko rubbed his sore butt once he got off his mount.

"Senpai, stop doing that. It looks wrong in so many ways." Yoichi chided while looking away disgustedly.

Koko continued to rub his sore behind but in a more exaggerated manner.

Mihara glared at the two captains and Koko immediately stopped his antics.

"Spread out and search for clues! We are close behind them!" The older man barked out and the small troop started looking around for clues.

At the corner of his eyes, Yoichi caught a fox digging at the ground. Jerking his head in the direction of the animal, Koko's gaze trailed to the small brown fox and nodded his head. Using his foot to scare the animal away, Yoichi bent down to inspect the shallow grave the fox had dug.

"_Bones of a small animal?" _Koko asked telepathically.

Yoichi nodded.

"_It must be less than three days for the animal to pick up the scent." _Yoichi replied in his mind. Looking nearby for clues, he saw bits of charred wood sticking out from beneath the tree. Walking over to the debris he gently touched it and saw Ruka burying it. The burnt bits flaked off easily and judging by the humid weather, he concluded that they were a day's journey away from them.

"What did you find captains?" Mihara walked towards the duo.

Yoichi looked at Koko, "these are fresh," indicating to the shallow graves, "we presume they are a day's ride away."

"Good. No wonder commander Goshima recommended both your promotions at such a young age." Mihara complimented them and then pointed at a foot soldier to bring him a map.

Unrolling the map, he studied it with the two captains and suspected that they were heading deeper into the forest.

"Why are they going deeper into the forest?" Koko asked with a puzzled look on his face.

Mihara grinned, "don't you know the story boys? The one about how the world was created?"

"Yeah… the one about how the little girl calmed the elements and defeated darkness." Yoichi replied monotonously.

Once again, Mihara flashed a grin, "they're after the stones."

"Stones?" The young captain furrowed his brows again.

"The alice stones. The ones needed for the sword to become powerful and destroy darkness. Of course those are just stories and no one knows where the bearers of the four elements have gone. However, General Kuonji wants his hands on that sword. It would legitimize his ascend to the throne if he has it."

Turning his attention away from the captains, Mihara began instructing his men.

"Get on your horses! We are a day's ride away from the princesses. At all costs, they must be captured today!"

Koko let out a groan.

"Great, now we know Kuonji's great plan and my ass isn't going to get any less sensitive from all this riding. You should have just lied to him Yoichi." Koko whined once Mihara was out of earshot.

Yoichi smacked Koko in the butt. "Suck it up senpai. We have orders to follow."

* * *

"Do you still smell it?" Natsume asked the rest.

He stopped and turned around only to be answered by their shaking heads. The group had just been walking deeper and deeper into the forest, not being able to pinpoint their exact location on the map, he decided to just follow the scent.

"_Look how well that turned out to be." _He grew agitated with himself.

Mikan and Sumire immediately dumped the bags they were carrying on their backs and sat down. Easing the laces on their boots, they saw the blisters formed at their toes and heels.

"We'd better get those blisters some treatment." Ruka murmured while digging into this own backpack for medication.

Natsume got up from the ground and walked a short distance. Seeing the plant that he wanted, he pulled it by its roots and gave it to the two princesses.

"This plant, remember it." He shoved it into Mikan's and Sumire's faces. "It has healing properties for cuts, bruises and blisters. Crush its leaves and rub the paste on the affected part."

Nodding in thanks, Mikan and Sumire split the small plant into two and started to crush their leaves. Obtaining the pulp, they spread it thinly on the affected areas and allowed it to dry.

Looking up at the sky, Sumire shielded her eyes from the glaring mid-day sun. Lying down on the soft grass, she closed her eyes and allowed the heat to slowly seep into her skin.

"_How long has it been since I've felt such tranquility? 2 weeks? A month? When did this all begin?" _Sumire thought to herself as the wind gently blew and the shadow of the leaves danced on her closed eyelids. _"When did I start living in fear? When did I expect the constant movement?"_

Through her closed eyes, the flickering between light and darkness comforted her. Then slowly opening her eyes, she looked at the leaves and everything that was jumbled up in her mind clicked.

"Mikan, is it me, or are the leaves strange?" Sumire spoke while her eyes darted from one leaf to the next.

Mikan who was lying next to her looked at the leaves of the tree above their heads.

"I'm not sure I'm seeing what you're seeing." Mikan replied.

Sumire raised a tired arm and pointed, "don't you see? The leaves, or rather the veins of the leaves, they're only darker in certain areas."

Her head turned to the side to see if her sister was getting anything that she was saying.

"Ruka, Natsume-san, lie down and see!" Sumire exclaimed.

The two boys lay down on the grass and observed the leaves.

"Look, all the darker veins are going in one direction. If we came from there," Sumire pointed in the direction which they came from, "We need to go in that direction." Sumire then pointed to the North.

Natsume sat up, "Good observation. Let's get going. We should find the place by nightfall if the both of you keep your eyes peeled."

The rest sat up and picked up their backpacks. Lacing up their boots, they set out in the direction of the darkened veins.

* * *

"_They were just here." _Koko sent his thoughts straight to Yoichi.

Yoichi's head whipped around and stared at the dirty brown haired senior in disbelief. _"How are we moving so fast?"_

"_It's not us, they're slowing down. Perhaps they're getting lost? No one knows of the true location of the other kingdoms, rather than that, no one knows if they really exist." _Koko replied.

"Captains, report!" Major Mihara shouted at them from across the platoon.

Koko stared at the green paste smeared on top of the smooth rock. Using his finger, he picked up a bit of the paste and rubbed it in between his thumb and forefinger.

"They've been here. About an hour ago going by the consistency of this paste." Koko reported.

"Keep your eyes peeled men! They're around here! If any of you capture the princesses, you are not to harm them and bring them straight here!" Mihara instructed.

Koko brought the emerald green paste closer to his face for inspection. Giving it a quick whiff, his eyebrows shot up at its distinctive smell.

"What's the paste?" Yoichi asked while leading both his and Koko's horses by the reigns.

Shoving his fingers under Yoichi's nose, Yoichi immediately picked up the smell and pushed his senior's hand away.

"Ugh, that's foul!" Yoichi commented and started taking deep breaths of fresh air in order to flush out the foul smelling plant paste.

Koko immediately started laughing. "This is a medicinal plant. It smells foul but it's healing properties are out of this world. Look." he then rubbed some on a bruise he attained while riding. The bruise started to discolour and return to his original skin colour.

"Woah. Yup." Koko grinned brightly at the amazed younger boy. "This'll teach you to appreciate mother nature."

Yoichi waved his hand in the air but his head immediately whipped in the direction leading deeper into the forest.

Koko, too looked in the direction and the hairs at the back of his neck stood up.

"You feel that?" Koko murmured.

"Yeah. It's a strange kind of power. We better find the princesses before Mihara's men do. I don't think they'll be so forgiving." The silver haired boy mounted his horse and rode off in the direction of the power surge.

* * *

Mikan and Sumire each took turns identifying the darkened veins on the leaves and at last the trail came to a dead end.

"It stopped." Sumire whispered.

"What you mean stopped? Are you looking carefully?" Natsume was on the edge. He didn't know how, but he could feel the army closing in on them. Catching them on uncertain territory was something he did not like one bit.

"It just ends here. None of the leaves show any more signs. We should see some kind of throne?" Mikan backed her sister up.

Ruka around for any animals so that he could obtain their bearings, however none were in sight. The forest was silent and the only noise heard was that of the rustling of leaves and a nearby river.

"We should take a short break. I hear the sound of a nearby river. We could stop there to refill out water bags."

Clutching his crossbow, Natsume had no argument to that. Without water and them wandering around aimlessly, they could put themselves in a worse position. He nodded his head in agreement and motioned Ruka to examine the map with him.

Mikan immediately grabbed the four water bags and took her sister's hand. "Erm…" Mikan meekly spoke up, "could we… take a quick bath as well? We feel filthy from trudging through the forest and I don't think it's wise to present ourselves like this to the Terra element."

Natsume's head turned slowly from the old parchment to the chestnut brown haired princess.

"_Does she not know that we're being tracked down? __**Come on, don't be so harsh, she did say a quick bath. **__When do women every bathe 'quickly'? __**Maybe she will.**__" _Natsume was debating in his mind.

Scanning the forest for any sound or sight that might indicate that the army was close to them, he did not find any and allowed the two princesses.

"Make it quick. Every moment we spend not moving, the army catches up." Natsume warned before turning back to the map.

Looking at each other, Mikan and Sumire smiled and ran off in the direction of the river.

They didn't have to travel very far and the sight of clean flowing water greeted them. Sumire immediately saw a plant near the river bank and started digging.

"Here, these roots produce soap. So we could use it to lather ourselves." Sumire handed her sister two small thin roots.

"How'd you…" Mikan began.

"Ruka. He's really knowledgeable about plants." Sumire cut her off and began stripping off the dirty tunic she had over her head.

Plunging into the cool water, Sumire never felt so refreshed in such a long time. Her long dark green hair spread out in the water as she floated face up, allowing her skin to soak in the coolness of the water. Standing back up, she pounded the root with a smaller stone and began lathering herself with the soap.

Mikan only removed her shoes and cloths but did not start taking a bath. Instead, she cleaned out all the stains on their tunics which could be removed. Satisfied with their much improved cleanliness, she hung them up to dry before slowly walking into the deeper end of the river.

At first a little chilly, Mikan was glad to have the grim and dirt off her body. She looked over to see her sister enjoying the water as much as she was. Rubbing hard on her skin, she smiled at the whiteness which emerged under all the mud and grim on her body.

Climbing up onto a larger rock, Mikan squeezed out the water from her hair and allowed the sun to evaporate the water on her skin. Sumire stood up in the river and got down to washing out the dirt in her own hair. Taking a generous amount of the white paste, she slapped it on her head and massaged it. Having longer hair than her sister, she obviously had more knots and spent most of her time working through it while humming.

Finally able to run her fingers through her long hair, she dunked back into the river to remove any traces of soap. When she surfaced, she noted her sister putting on their almost dry clothes.

"Sumire, we've got to hurry. I think Ruka and Natsume-san will worry." Mikan urged her sister as she buttoned up the blouse which she wore under her tunic.

Climbing up onto the rock which Mikan was sitting at, she sat there and wringed her hair. "I will, after my body gets a little drier."

Mikan picked up the water bags and started filling them up. While uncapping the last bottle, both she and Sumire heard a loud 'crack'.

Someone was in the forest, and very near them.

* * *

Koko and Yoichi urged their horse deeper into the forest but seeing how the animals refuse to budge, they had no choice but to dismount.

Securing the reigns round a tree branch, they began walking in the direction of the river.

They both agreed that the likeliest place to find the group was near a water source. Having travelled so far, they did not come across any water bodies and would need to refill their water bags. Moving closer to the sound of water, they heard someone humming.

Looking at each other, they careful placed their footing so as to not make a sound. Peeking through the coverage of leaves, they saw what they wanted to see, well not exactly.

"There's Mikan-hime." Yoichi pointed out, however his senior was staring with eyes as wide as saucers. "Senpai?" Moving his gaze to match Koko, he saw the white skin of Sumire-hime.

Immediately flushing a deep red, Yoichi raised his left hand and brought it down hard on Koko's head.

Not expecting the hit, Koko stared at Sumire's unclothed body in amazement.

"_Did she really have such white skin under all that layers of clothes? Her hair down softens her image so much more. Could she turn a little so I could look at the fro-"_ Koko's thoughts were rudely interrupted by a hard blow to the head. He stumbled forward and his foot landed on a very inviting twig.

CRACK!

Koko managed to stop himself before he was exposed and turned round to glare vehemently at Yoichi.

"Thanks" He mouthed while slowly retreating.

Quickly looking to see the two princesses, he let out a frustrated sigh.

Hissing angrily at his junior "see what you did?! Now they're moving. I could have seen more of- I mean- I could have gone out slowly and took them by surprise."

"No need for that, we'll just go out now." Yoichi suggested but panic immediately rose in his chest.

"Have you searched in that area yet?" Mihara's voice rang out through the forest from a distance. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up!"

"Not much of a choice. Hurry!" Koko tugged Yoichi's uniform and they entered the princesses' line of vision.

* * *

Sumire had just pulled the tunic over her head before the two soldiers stumbled out of the forest and stood before them. Slipping her foot into her boots, she picked up the hems of her tunic.

"Run Sumire!" Mikan shouted as she slung the water bags over her head.

Not sparing another second trying to process what was happening, Sumire just ran. Both she and Mikan did their best to avoid the low branches and high roots. Hearing the two soldiers closing in on them, they knew that they would be captured soon.

The weeks travelling on the road did strengthen their legs; however Mikan's additional trainings were giving her a large advantage. She had the stamina and the power to run, but her sister dwindled behind.

"Just run Mikan! It's better than both of us being caught together!" Sumire shouted as she pushed her feet hard against the soft ground.

However, no matter how hard she ran, she was caught. Feeling a strong arm round her waist, she was tugged backwards and as physic decided, both her and her captor slammed hard into a tree.

"Senpai! I'll get Mikan-hime!" The other soldier ran off after her sister.

Struggling to run after him, the arm around her waist held her tight.

"Ouch…" The man she was crushing moved behind her. Using his free arm, he raised it and Sumire shut her eyes, expecting the blow to her face. However after a while she heard a rustling of hair and sneaked a peak. He was just rubbing his head.

Sumire scanned the soldier which was holding on tightly to her. He looked like he was around her age, had brown hair like her sisters but his was more of a dirty brown and it stuck out in all angles. His hazelnut eyes shone brightly, defining his face nicely as she saw a strong jawline. More importantly, she could feel his muscular arms despite his overall body not looking very strong.

"_What the heck am I doing?! You're in the hands of the enemy, literally."_ Sumire began struggling from his grasp.

"Woah woah… I'm not going to bite." The man chuckled as she fought against his one arm.

"Let me go!" Sumire spat.

"No can do, you're going to get caught either way. But getting caught by me is much better than Mihara." Koko told her while pulling out a pair of cuffs.

Sumire's body froze in its place. The name brought chills to her, she knew that name, Mihara, one of the most ruthless commanders in the army. His deeds were well-known and despite her father trying to stop him, he continued nonetheless.

Securing the cuffs around her wrist, Koko noted that she had gone still and silent. He read her thoughts and smirked.

"I see, so you know Mihara. Well, aren't you glad you got me? Don't worry, I won't let him do anything to you. But orders are orders, he would like to see your face." Koko tried comforting her while leading her back to his horse.

Sumire was powerless under this seemingly weak man. She was dragged against her will towards the horse.

"Please let me go… please…" Sumire began begging.

Koko turned to look at a pitiful Sumire. He had no choice. His hands were bound as well. As much as he and Yoichi tried to buy them time, he could not just let her go just like that. He shook his head sadly and placed his hands on her waist, hoisting her up onto his horse.

"What about your partner?" Sumire tried stalling.

"He'll find his way back. He's younger than me by the way, but he's much more level headed." Koko mounted his horse and urged it back to their temporary camp, a distance away.

Trapped between his two arms, Sumire began struggling again.

"I'd advise you not to do that. If you get thrown off and get injured, my head would be on the chopping block next to yours." Koko joked.

But Sumire didn't seem to take that joke very well. _"I'm going to be executed?!"_

Seeing the fear flash in her eyes, Koko was puzzled as to why she was expressing that emotion when he just ensured that he would keep her safe.

Oh.

"I was just joking about the chopping block."

Sumire's expression relaxed.

"But I wasn't joking about me getting punished. Please don't make my life any more difficult." Koko pleaded.

Somehow Sumire felt comfortable with him. She still had fear within her, but at the same time, some form of comfort. She felt that she could trust him.

"Since it's going to be sometime back to our camp, let's get to know each other." Koko chirped happily.

"Are you always this chirpy?" Sumire replied in an annoyed tone.

Koko nervously scratched his face. "Eh heh heh, yeah. Is that a bad thing?"

"For a captain, I wonder how your men take you seriously." Sumire rolled her eyes. _"Really, how can he be so carefree amidst all this chaos."_

Koko was taken aback, he didn't expect a princess to know his rank. "I'm surprised you know I'm a captain."

"What kind of princess would I be if I can't tell the ranks of my subordinates?"

"Touche. I'm Koko Yome. Turning 19 this year. Captain in the army." Koko beamed down and the grumpy princess.

"You know who I am. There's no need for introductions." Sumire murmured.

"Where's the fun in that? Come one~!"

Sumire sighed loudly, "Sumire Yukihira. Turning 17 this year. Princess of Nuru. Happy?"

"Very."

The rocking of the horse filled the silence which ensued until Koko jerked the reigns of the horse to a stop. In front of him stood a group of 4 bandits. Cocking one eyebrow up, he looked at them with curiosity.

"Get off your high horse and hand over your goods." One of the bandits demanded.

"Step aside. I'm on official business and you are in no position to command me." Koko's voice strongly resonated in the quiet forest.

The bandit turned to his comrades and they started mocking Koko. Reaching behind for the small key, he slowly brought his hand forward to unlock the cuffs on Sumire's wrist.

"What…?" Sumire whispered.

"Shh… I knew they were following the army for some time. These bandits just want some food and money. Wherever the army goes, there's bound to be a trail of crumbs for them." Koko explained eying the group which was still laughing.

"Then why…?"

"In case things turn ugly. I'd rather you safe than dead." Koko whispered close to her ear and turned to key, releasing the cuffs.

"Official business he says… HA! Boy, just give us your goods and we'll be on our way." The leader spoke to Koko.

"I have a few shillings and nothing else. You know how poorly the army pays me." Koko tried persuading them.

The group then eyed Sumire hungrily, "what about the girl then? Give her up."

"_They didn't know the face of their own princess?"_

Sumire noted how tightly Koko was holding the reigns.

"Sorry, she's not part of the deal. Besides, didn't your mother teach you to treat women with respect?"

The man spat on the ground and his eyes gleamed with menace. "We don't need a lecture from one of you army scum. You were the ones that took away our homes, our food, our freedom and made us resort to these methods." The men then proceeded to circle the horse with their makeshift weapons of clubs and farming tools.

Thinking that he had entered the blind spot of Koko, one of the men rushed forward to attack him.

"Hold on." Koko whispered and the horse reared, kicking the attacker squarely in the chest. The man flew backwards and was knocked unconscious. Taking advantage of the confusion, the horse then stood on his back legs and kicked down the man standing in front. The other two men rushed to their comrades' aid and Koko helped Sumire down.

"Run. Run back to your companions and don't stop." Koko instructed calmly. As he said this, the other two men held their weapons high above their head and charged for Koko. Seeing this from the corner of his eyes, he pushed Sumire towards the forest which they had come from.

Drawing his sword with lightning speed, he blocked both attacks with the scabbard of his sword. Pushing them back with all his might, they stumbled backwards but quickly regained their footing.

"Stop fighting please. I don't want to hurt you." Koko urged them.

"It's too late for that." The leader angrily commented and he charged for Koko again.

"You never learn your lesson." Koko commented lightly while shifting his body slightly to the left to avoid being hit.

The man hacked away dangerously while his companion tried to get a hit on Koko's legs, however Koko was using less energy than the both of them and they tire out soon. Using this opening, he simultaneously smacked the base of their necks and they were knocked unconscious.

Attaching the scabbard back to his waist, he looked around to see his handiwork, but to his horror, there were only three unconscious bodies.

"Shoots!"

Then he heard a piercing scream.

* * *

Sumire stumbled into the forest once Koko shoved her hard. Managing to catch her footing, she turned around to see him trying to fend off two attackers.

"_RUN RUN!"_ Her brain screamed at her and she picked up her feet to run.

Roughly remembering her way here, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her and when she reached close to the river, Sumire stopped to catch her breath.

The blood rushing through her ears were deafening and she could feel her heart ramming against her ribcage. Trying to breathe in as deep as she can, she was suddenly grabbed from behind and she let out a piercing scream.

"Gotcha', no point in runnin' now missy." The man's huskily spoke to her. One hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming anymore and one hand round her waist, Sumire knew she was trapped with this man.

Not wanting to be caught, she did the only thing she knew, stomping down hard on his feet and pushing back as far as she could. This caused the man to groan in pain and hit his head against the large tree behind.

Immediately letting her go so that he could clutch his throbbing head, Sumire ran off again.

"_Stupid stupid! Why did I stop?!"_

Then, she saw the clearing at which Ruka and Natsume were last at. She couldn't be more relieved but upon reaching the open grounds, she did not see any of them.

"Mikan? Ruka?! Natsume-san?!" She started to scream but was only answered by the rustling of leaves.

"_They couldn't have left without me right? They couldn't, could they?"_

Hearing the large snapping of a twig, she whirled around but could not see anyone coming.

"Come out and fight me!" Sumire shouted, while quickly removing the wakizashi from within her tunic.

Unsheathing it, she pointed it at any source of sound.

Then she was grabbed from the back again and she struggled against the perpetrator vigorously.

"Get off me! Let me go!" She screamed.

The man who was chasing her emerged from the forest and this caused her to be even more frightened.

"_If he's in front of me, who's grabbing me? His companion?!"_

The man seeing that his 'good' was being touched by someone else, threw his weapon as hard as he could but it was flung in another direction by an arrow.

"_Arrow?"_

Frustrated that his attack was going to plan, he rushed forward but an arrow was squarely launched in between his eyes.

"Sumire-hime, calm down." Natsume told the green haired princess.

Sumire stopped struggling and turned round to see Natsume's crimson eyes pierce into her.

Sumire was confused, because the only one proficient enough with a bow and arrow was Natsume yet here he was behind her.

Jumping down from one of the trees, a man dressed in a flimsy green tunic appeared in front of her holding his bow in his hand.

"Hime… I'm a servant of the Terra element and pleased to make your acquaintance. I would continue this introductory but you are in danger and we need to get you to safety, please follow me quickly." The man then took off and Sumire just followed him blindly.

* * *

**_I hope you have enjoyed that chapter! Apologies for the lack in update, it's really hard to find the link between the events in these stories and yet try to make it interesting. Well... the story from now on will be at a quicker pace!_**

**_Do leave a review!_**

**_Replies!_**

**_miko647635: Hello! Sorry for the slow update. Like I said above it is difficult when you have writer's block. :( anyway, I hope you like this chapter!_**

**_muchan-natsu: Hi! I update whenever I can, sometimes it's fast when things fall click into place in my head. Keep reading!_**

**_EmeraldStar642, _****_mooshy3712 & SymmertircalGirl8DeathTheKid_**: Thank you for your review and compliment! **_If things are a little unclear, please point it out! :)_**

**_adrienna22: hee hee, you're so sweet! I'll clarify that part for you. Alice were given randomly from the God's to humans. If you use up your alice before you die, you'll have no more alice. If you die before your alice is used up, you get turned into an alice stone. Anyone can use an alice stone, so having one doesn't automatically mean you're an alice carrier. Make sense? Yeah, but Hotaru and Misaki will take a backseat for now. I promise more screen time for them! Mikan broke down when she remembered her father's dead body that she saw in the second(?) chapter. And about Natsume's pain... you'll see. ^^_**


	13. Chapter 12: Giwaku

_**Hi all! I apologise for leaving all of you in suspense for a month. Here's the long awaited chapter.**_

_**WARNING: There may be a disturbing scene with some violence and gore. Read at your own discretion.**_

* * *

**Chapter 12: Giwaku; Suspicion**

Mikan ran and ran and ran.

Stopping would inevitably mean she would get caught and dragged back to the capital of Nuru. After coming so far, she could not just stop because her lungs weren't getting enough air and her legs were burning. After coming so far, she was not going to let everyone's efforts go to waste.

The constant sounds of footsteps behind her kept her adrenaline going, reminding her that the predator was nearby. Then out of nowhere she was suddenly grabbed by the waist and hoisted high up into the trees.

"Wha-?!" She started but someone's hand clamped down on her mouth.

"Don't scream."

Mikan stared into Ruka's cool blue eyes and calmed down. He slowly let go while the soldier ran beneath them as he tried to find her.

"Where are we Ruka?" Mikan whispered as soon as the footsteps disappeared.

Ruka jerked his head to the top of the tree and there sitting on a throne made of leaves was a man.

Mikan looked to Ruka, then to the man dressed in an emerald green tunic. Turning around slowly to look at her surroundings, Mikan noted that she was at the top of a very tall tree as she could see the whole forest before her. A small movement moved from a tree near them and her eyes caught someone hiding behind the leaves.

"We are in the presence…" Ruka began.

"… of the Terra element." The man sitting on the throne spoke.

Mikan immediately looked towards him and noted that he had brown hair, but a shade darker than hers. Also, what drew her in were his warm brown eyes. Whatever tension she was feeling was immediately lifted.

Realising she was in the presence of someone important, she walked forward slowly and curtsied.

The man let out a small laugh and waved his hand.

"No need for the formalities, Mikan-hime."

"How do you know me?" Mikan lifted her head.

"I know a great deal of things about you, and your sister." The man stated while resting his head on his hand.

Then it suddenly dawned on her that Sumire was still missing. Mikan whipped around and started drowning Ruka in questions.

"Where's Sumire? Is she safe? Was she caught? What about Natsume-san? Where is he? Did he get caught? How did you find the Terra element? Ruka? Ruka!"

The blonde haired guard raised his hands in the air, trying to find a way to interrupt Mikan's fury of questions.

"Mikan-sama… Sumire-sama got caught…"

"Wha-?" Mikan began.

"Let the poor boy continue Mikan-hime." The terra element spoke, amused by the scene in front of him.

Realising that she was not giving Ruka a chance to explain, Mikan apologized and allowed Ruka to continue explaining.

"Sumire-hime got caught, but Natsume and one of the Terra guards went to save her. She'll be here soon."

Letting out a small sigh of relief, Mikan asked the burning question, "How did you find them?"

Ruka smiled, "We didn't, they came to us and then everything dawned on us. You see Mikan, we didn't see the connection, we 're now at the crown of the trees. When there is a crown, there'll be…"

"A throne." Mikan completed.

No wonder the darkened leaf veins stopped, they had reached the tallest tree but since they were on the ground, every tree looked tall and they couldn't distinguish its height.

"Just as you went off for a bath, a few of the Terra guards came down and brought Nasume and I up. Of course we thought they were intruders, but I felt something warm within me, as if my alice telling me that the Terra alice is close by. The Terra element explained that each alice was separated into the 4 elements. As long as your alice had something to do with the 4 elements, it would resonate when its near one of the original alice."

Mikan looked a little confused.

"You see, my alice can control animals. I can speak to any animal living on the land, the air and the water."

"Oh…"

"Your sister has arrived." The Terra element interrupted and in that moment, Sumire and Natsume appeared with a Terra guard escorting them.

* * *

"_This is strange. This is very strange. Could Mikan ever run so fast?"_

Those were the exact thoughts running through Yoichi's mind as he ran further into the forest. Something was amiss. Yoichi stopped as he heard someone screaming.

"Get off me! Let me go!"

It sounded like a woman's voice.

Yoichi then started running towards the sound but stopped a few feet away as he heard the sound of metal clanging against each other. Hiding behind a large tree trunk, he observed the scene taking place in front of him.

"Sumire-him, calm down." A raven haired boy around his age was grabbing on to Sumire as she struggled but as soon as she looked at him, she immediately stopped.

"_So Yome let Sumire-hime escape? Hold on, who's the guy? Could he be…"_

Yoichi's thoughts were interrupted when a man dressed in a green tunic appeared from the trees.

"Hime… I'm a servant of the Terra element and pleased to make your acquaintance. I would continue this introductory but you are in danger and we need to get you to safety, please follow me quickly."

"_So Kuonji was right about the legend being true. I bet Mikan and Ruka are with the Terra element."_

Staying behind the tree till the trio was hoisted up into the trees, Yoichi finally moved when he heard no more sounds. This was big news. He finally confirmed that the local legend was true and with his own eyes, he saw someone of the Terra clan.

Yoichi ran back to his horse and mounted it quickly, urging it to return back to camp as fast as he could. Upon entering their make-shift camp and securing his horse, Koko grabbed him from within their tent.

"Yoichi! What took you so long?" Koko whispered harshly.

"Why are you whispering senpai?" Yoichi spoke in his usual voice and received a smack on the head.

"SHHHHH! I'm hiding from Major Mihara!"

Yoichi raised an eyebrow, "Why…" he began but changed his mind halfway, "nevermind why. Koko listened, Kuonji's on to something solid."

"What you mean solid?"

"The legend, it's true. Whatever we experienced at the front of the forest was just the icing on the cake. I saw a Terra clan member." Yoichi explained hurriedly.

"Woah you serious?" Koko looked at a very serious Yoichi, "ok you are. So now what?"

Yoichi answered after a long while of thinking. "We report this to Mihara." Moving to leave the tent, Koko immediately grabbed his arm.

"You know he's not going to like the fact that we didn't capture them." Koko stated the obvious.

"What else can we do? We've satisfied our curiosity, now we just need to do our duty as captains."

Koko stood at the open tent flap while letting Yoichi walk out.

"What is our duty Yoichi? Why did we join the army in the first place?" Koko murmured.

"That is for you to figure out senpai." Yoichi caught the gaze of Major Mihara and he placed a comforting hand on Koko's shoulder, "Let's go, we have a report to do."

Walking over to the Major clad in his shiny breastplate, both captains saluted and stood to attention.

"Well boys, give me some good news. General Kuonji has just sent the sissy doctor over." Mihara motioned to the blonde haired doctor who was taking a look at the injured. "He's to accompany us on our journey till we reach the harbour."

"The harbor sir?" Koko inquired.

"Yes captain. It seems that General Kuonji has specified we go to the harbor. That aside, report on your findings." Mihara moved to sit on a chair and looked up at the two captains.

"We found the princesses…" Yoichi started and Mihara's thin lips curled into a smile.

"… But we lost them." Koko ended with a gulp.

"Explain." Mihara's smile dropped and his voice laced with acidity.

"I let Sumire-hime go when being faced with a group of bandits that were following the army." Koko elaborated

"What do you mean 'let go' captain?"

"I released her cuffs sir."

"What were your orders?" Mihara spoke through his teeth.

"To capture the princesses without any harm. I believe sir that my course of action allowed the princess to be without harm. If I didn't let her go, she would have been taken hostage by the bandits or worst, killed. Letting her go so that she could run away or defend herself was the best course of action."

Mihara lunged from his seat and grabbed the young captain by his collar, hoisting him up such that his feet were no longer touching the ground.

"You think you're all that smart right captan Yome?"

Koko struggled to breathe but managed to choke out a reply. "No sir, but Sumire-hime is safe."

"Safe but not within OUR grasps!" Mihara spat. "You should have not let her go!"

"I could not take on 4 men and protect her at the same time!" Koko gasped for air within the tight grasp of the Major.

Yoichi stood near the two men and spoke calmly, "Major Mihara, you're going to suffocate Captain Yome if you do not let him go and we would lose our best tracker in this camp."

Mihara glared at the silver haired boy and threw Koko into the ground.

"Where's your sense of duty? You think being a captain is a game? Is that why you joined the army?!" Mihara's rage erupted and the whole camp went quiet to observe.

Clutching his neck and still being able to feel Mihara's fingers, Koko massaged it and took deep breaths of air.

"Isn't our duty to protect the weak? To uphold justice?" Koko glared at the man.

"Wrong boy. Your duty is to follow orders from your superiors."

Koko opened his mouth to rebut but Yoichi spoke up, "Despite all that, we found the Terra Kingdom, or rather, the living quarters."

Mihara's eyes widened in surprise, "so… it's true then. I knew General Kuonji wouldn't lead us on something which he didn't have proof of. Where are they then Captain Hijiri?"

"They helped the princesses and disappeared, so I cannot pinpoint where they are." Yoichi stood fearlessly beside Koko while reporting.

After a long period of silence, Mihara spoke up, "Very well. I shall report this to Commander Goshima and await further instructions from him. In the meantime, both of you are confined to your tents as punishment. Food rations will be halved for your negligence for 3 days."

Walking towards another soldier, he exchanged a few words before being teleported back to the castle with the messenger.

"Are you all right Koko?" Yoichi asked while holding his body upright.

Narumi, seeing that Mihara had left with the messenger addressed the line of injured soldiers and asked them to wait as he attended to Koko.

"Let me see those marks." The blonde haired doctor moved Koko's hands away and inspected the bruising that was beginning to take colour around Koko's neck. Pressing here and there, he concluded that the injury was not serious but he would have a sore neck for a few days. Walking back to his pouch, he took out a small vial and passed it on to Koko.

"Drink this after dinner. It would help lessen any swelling."

Koko took the yellow vial from Narumi's hand but his arm was grabbed by Narumi's other hand.

"Is it true? Did you really see the Terra clan member?"

"Yes sir." Yoichi replied.

Narumi's eyes widened in fear. If it's true, Mikan and Sumire were in a much greater danger. "Tell me about them, tell me everything."

Yoichi then described what he saw in detail to the doctor and as he finished, Narumi was in shock.

"So it's true, they exist. They were hiding till they were required."

"Required for what?" Koko asked.

"For darkness to be vanquished and balance restored." Narumi answered.

"What do you mean sir?" Yoichi's eyes lit up.

Narumi pulled both of them in and whispered, "Kuonji has been possessed and he welcomes it. He's going all out to stop Mikan and Sumire from collecting the stones."

* * *

Sumire arrived at the top of the tree and saw Mikan and Ruka sitting on an intricately designed chair. Looking to her right, she saw a man with brown hair sitting on a throne adorned with various kinds of leaves. He raised his hand and motioned to the two empty seats, asking them to sit.

She promptly took her seat while Natsume took his beside Ruka's. Glancing to her sister for some form of hint, Mikan just shook her head.

"Welcome all. I trust you didn't take long to find Sumire-hime." The man spoke up.

Natsume shook his head, "no sir."

"Good. Now that everyone is here, I will begin the introductions. I am the vessel for the Terra element, Misaki." The older man nodded his head to the four sitting in front of him. "I hope your journey to find me was not tedious."

Sumire's eyes bulged. Really? This was the man who held the Terra element?

"You seem surprise Sumire-hime. Were you expecting someone different?" Misaki regarded the younger princess.

"I don't mean to be rude sir, but I expected someone more… mystical. You strike me as ordinary." Sumire replied.

A loud laugher erupted from the man's throat. "I see the younger princess does have a humorous bone. The last time I heard, you were quite the solemn one, hiding within the palace."

"How…" Sumire began.

"How do I know you and what you do?" Misaki's eyes lit up with mischief. "You see princesses, you don't do a great deal in hiding that braid of yours." Misaki pointed to the small braid while ended with a golden bead.

"The Terra element knows all things regarding the earth. You are surrounded by many of my elements. Though, it is a dangerous thing to be travelling around with that braid exposed. You as their bodyguard should have placed more attention to this." The terra element regarded their blonde companion.

Ruka bowed his head, "I was careless, forgive me."

"It is not I you should be seeking forgiveness from should something befall these two, but Izumi-san."

Silence enveloped the room as they remembered the death of a great person.

"Remorse aside, I have been monitoring your movements and it seems I have yet to meet you… Natsume."

Natsume looked up from his seat and stared straight into the man's eyes.

"You've done a great deal of hiding, though I must compliment you on your efforts. You've remained undetected for 5 years, living in that dessert of yours. It was difficult keeping tabs on you."

"And I would like it to remain that way." Natsume spoke.

Misaki grinned at the boy before regarding the two princesses. "Kami's sword, bring them to me."

Mikan and Sumire stood up from their seats and walked to the throne. Mikan pulled the Katana from her back while Sumire took hers from her boot.

"Unsheathe both."

Doing as they were instructed, the girls pulled their respective swords from the scabbard. Almost immediately, a strong wind blew and everyone closed their eyes. The trees began to sway, leaves started to fly and a whole storm of petals were being blown around. Clutching tightly to the sword, both Mikan and Sumire used both hands to prevent it from flying.

Within all this flying debris, Natsume's back began to burn. Huddling and trying to press the areas which burn, they only manage to give him a small amount of comfort. He was glad that the wind had everyone confused while he writhe in pain, praying hard that it would go away. Feeling the wind starting to die down, Natsume removed his hands from his back and covered his face, just like what everyone else was doing. Gritting his teeth as the pain returned with full force, he blended with everyone else.

Once everything died down, they opened their eyes and Misaki was standing.

"It seems that something different has happened this time round. The sword has split itself into two but _she_ dwells within you." Misaki stated while looking at Mikan.

Mikan looked at him in a confusion, who was _she_?

"Serina-san would have explained that you would need to collect the alice stones from the four elements and from the forces of life and death am I right?"

Both girls nodded.

Misaki closed his eyes and concentrated on his palm, feeling the warmth growing within his hand, he produced a small emerald green stone. Opening his palm, he revealed it to them.

Sumire reached out to take it but Misaki immediately closed his hand.

"Not so fast. It would be too easy for you if I just handed over my alice. I need to know that you are worthy."

"I was able to draw the sword out from the stone, which should be a good enough indication." Mikan tried reasoning.

Misaki shook his head sadly, "That is not a good enough reason. In the past, many have tried to obtain the Terra's alice stone. My predecessors have protected it from those inflicted with greed and revenge. They have protected it even from those carrying the blood of our mistress."

"What must we do?" Sumire asked.

"I will give you a test, to see if you are worthy of my alice." Misaki started and returned to his throne.

"But?" Mikan caught on to the tone in which he was speaking in.

"But only one of you may take the test. The sword has chosen for you though and it is you, Sumire-hime who would be taking this test. Pass it and I will gladly hand over my alice stone. Fail it and everyone shall not walk from here but remain as a part of the forest." Misaki indicated to the small flowers growing near his foot.

Fear grabbed Sumire's heart, _"So everything lies with me. If I fail, we will all be turned into plants."_

Mikan placed a hand on her sister's shoulder, "Do not fear sister. You have learnt enough from Ruka the past few days, your knowledge surpasses that of mine in terms of plants. Be confident."

Sumire reached out and touched Mikan's warm hand. She was right, she could do this.

"Very well. State the task." Sumire proclaimed.

Misaki smiled and motioned for one of his servants. The young man brought out a potted plant while held a seedling.

"You are to make this plant flower. In 2 days' time, by sundown, if there is no flower, you fail. However, if you can make it flower, the stone is yours." Misaki held out his alice stone and dropped it onto the leaf of the potted plant. The plant's leaves wrapped tightly around it and formed a bud.

Sumire looked at the bud which contained the stone, "_What kind of plant would do that?"_

"Of course I would not throw you into the sea and make you swim. Follow me." Misaki stood up and walked past everyone onto a tree branch. Disappearing into one of the tree trunks, the rest followed him and found themselves in a room full of books.

"This is the library. The books regarding the plant are on this shelf." Misaki pointed to the shelf which stretched from the roof to the floor. Staring bug eye at the sheer amount of books, it was similar to finding a needle in a haystack. "You are not allowed to seek help from any of your companions and questions regarding the books will be answered by my librarian, Nonoko Ogasawara."

A girl their age with jet black hair emerged from the darkness and bowed slightly to them.

"If that is all, I suggest you get a good night's sleep. Your test will begin tomorrow morning. Nonoko, show the princess to her room."

Nonoko bowed once again and urged the princess to follow her. As soon as Mikan, Ruka and Natsume attempted to follow them, guards appeared and barred their way.

"Not so fast. You three are to be quarantined away from Sumire-hime. Any interference and I would deem her an immediate failure. Kitsuneme here will show you to your rooms." The man who accompanied Natsume to rescue Sumire appeared from behind the large group of guards.

"This way please."

Following the guard, the three were lead to a room with three beds. Two were on one side while the other bed was separated by a thin curtain. Walking to their respective beds, they noted that clothes were given.

"The bathroom is just outside this room on the right. If Mikan-hime is ready, she will have her bath first." Kitsuneme spoke to the princess and indicated to the door.

Grabbing the clothes from the bed and her katana, she hurried out of the door and into the bath where a few servant girls were waiting for her. Stripping her of her clothes, they poured lukewarm water over her body and scrubbed her clean. Then filling a tub with milky water, they explained that the water was medicated and would help any aches. Bowing low, the servant girls left her to soak in the tub.

Seeing Mikan leave the room, Misaki entered and the door closed. Nodding, the four large men which followed Misaki into the room walked towards the two young men. Two of them grabbed Ruka's arm and prevented him from moving while the other two attempted to grab Natsume.

Dodging and attacking swiftly, he was able to knock the wind out of one of the guards, however, they were overpowering and Natsume was secured in a tight arm lock.

"Pull of his shirt." Misaki instructed and the winded guard tore off Natsume's shirt. Nodding once again, the guard holding on to Natsume changed his position and in turn, made Natsume move as if he were a piece of clay. Wincing in pain coming from his arm and his back, he struggled but he burly man did not move an inch.

Misaki's cool hand came into contact with Natsume's back and he flinched at the sudden difference in temperature.

"I thought so…" Misaki said to himself and touched a raw spot on Natsume's back. Pulling out a knife, he held it precariously over Natsume's back.

"NO!" Ruka strugged as he saw the scene happening before his eyes. Was the Terra element going to stab Natsume in the back?

Carefully pressing the tip of the knife into a sore spot, Natsume screamed out in pain but the guard stuffed a thick leather pad into his mouth.

"Hold him still." Misaki warned as he worked on Natsume's back.

To Natsume, it felt like he was being pressed against red hot coals wherever Misaki was touching and cutting. Biting hard into the leather pad to prevent himself from moving, he endured he torture. Misaki moved from one raw red spot to another, making a long incision at each spot. Sheathing his knife, he warned Natsume, "This is going to be hell but bear with it."

Using a pair of tweezers, he plunged it deep into the wound before pulling what he wanted out.

Ruka stared in horror at the gruesome sight. "Natsume! Natsume!" He called out as he watched his friend bite hard to fight the pain. "What are you doing?! Why are you torturing him?!"

"Shut the boy up, I can't concentrate." Misaki said coldly and a cloth was pressed into his mouth.

Watching the man cut his friend open and not being able to do anything was the worst feeling Ruka had to endure. He jerked, trying to break free but the grasp on him just tightened even more. Ruka finally stopped moving when he saw what was being drawn from Natsume's back.

"_Is that..?!"_

Misaki drew out the raven black feather from Natsume's back and dropped it into a bowl the guard was holding. Moving to the next incision, he did the same thing and Natsume tightened his muscles.

"Natsume, try to relax. You being all tense is making it harder for me to extract this from you." Misaki patted Natsume's back and he felt the boy try to relax. Moving quickly, Misaki was able to remove all 5 feathers and slap on a thick layer of a healing salve on him.

Looking to the guards, they released Ruka and he immediately pulled out the cloth from his mouth. Rushing over to Natsume's side, he saw his friend losing consciousness.

"He's losing consciousness!" Ruka exclaimed as Natsume lost his bite on the leather pad.

Misaki quickly wiped his hands and bent down to Natsume's level. "Natsume? Natsume! Come on snap out of it! You need to remain conscious otherwise the medication won't work! Just a few more minutes and you can drift off!" Misaki slapped Natsume's face lightly to keep him conscious.

Glancing over his shoulder to see the wounds quickly healing, Misaki reached into the pouch at his side and took out a vial of dark yellow salt. Popping the cap off with his teeth, he waved the bottle under Natsume's nose and it seemed to do the trick and he took a deep breath, bringing back life to his eyes.

Not having the strength to fight anymore, Natsume allowed the guard to carry his full weight as his legs gave way. Everything was hurting and burning. He couldn't tell whether he was standing, sitting or lying down. All he could hear was someone faintly calling his name and someone lightly slapping him.

Then he heard someone say in a faint voice that it has healed and he can lie down on the bed.

"_Bed… that word never sounded so heavenly. Come to me…"_ Natsume's thoughts were in a jumble but he welcomed the softness of the bed he was placed on. Within seconds he succumbed to the darkness and slept.

"He's asleep Ruka. Leave him be." Misaki looked to the blonde guard and walked away.

Getting up from his crouched position, Ruka rushed towards the vessel with his arm raised but Misaki caught it squarely within his larger palm.

"Bastard!" Ruka spat.

"I had no choice." Misaki calmly explained.

"You could have told him! He would have consented!" Ruka argued, raging with anger.

"He wouldn't! More importantly he couldn't!" Misaki glared at the impertinent boy. "He never even knew when the pain would come, when they would start growing. But I can. And as soon as I felt it coming, I acted!"

"You almost killed him!"

"I saved your friend!" Misaki's voice boomed.

At this moment, Mikan who was fresh from the bath walked in on the two men fighting each other. Looking past them, she saw a bare backed Natsume unconscious on the bed. Alarm bells began ringing and Mikan drew her Katana and pointed it at the Terra element holder.

"Stand down!" Misaki commanded as the guards attempted to rush forward.

"What's going on? Explain!" Mikan commanded.

"Just as your sister has her trials, Natsume has his. I just save his life. If I were any later, one of those feathers would have grown in the wrong way and injured his lungs."

Mikan was confused, "Feathers?"

Ruka pushed the man away from him and straightened himself out. It was true that he saved Natsume, but there were better ways of doing so. Still angry, he grabbed the bowl with the raven black feathers and showed Mikan.

"Where were these from?" Mikan asked.

"His back." Ruka spoke through his teeth while indicating to Natsume's back which now light pink skin growing over the once made incisions.

"Why…"

"He's a shinigami."

"A what?" Mikan and Ruka both answered.

"A shinigami, or rather, the vessel of one. A being that neither belongs to heaven or to hell. A being that is neither good nor evil. He didn't tell you this?" Misaki furrowed his brows together in confusion. _"Why did he not tell them something so important despite __**her**__ being closeby."_

"He didn't." Mikan flatly replied.

Pondering for a while, Misaki spoke, "it is then up to him to tell you. For now, you just have the knowledge that he is a shinigami. Here, this is the salve for his back. It needs to be reapplied every 3 hours for maximum healing. I will see all of you tomorrow morning."

With that, Misaki left the room with his guards and closed the door gently.

"Did you know Ruka?" Mikan whispered while clutching the brown jar in her hands.

Ruka shook his head, "no… he never said anything. He never told me anything."

"_Just like it all was 5 years ago."_

* * *

Opening the map, Hotaru checked her route one too many times before rolling it up and tucking it into her sling bag.

"Are we near our destination?" Misaki looked at the purple eyed girl with hopeful eyes that their long and arduous journey was coming to an end.

Hotaru nodded.

"Great, otherwise I'd think this trip is messing with my senses. At least I know for sure that is the smell of the sea."

Pulling the packed tent onto her duckcyle, she got on and secured her helmet.

Misaki promptly sat behind her and checked the GPS device Hotaru had entrusted her with. Long had they passed the red dot which was where Mikan was supposedly located.

"We have a day of flying before we reach the harbor." Hotaru stated and started up her transportation device.

Elevating into the air, Hotaru floored the pedal and they zoomed off into the horizon, in the direction of the blue sea to find a certain pirate.

* * *

**_Tomodachi! How was it? I hope this chapter was more action packed and you just want more of it. Fingers crossed, I can get the next chapter out by this week. Please be patient as I try to juggle between uni and this. Do R&R!_**

**_Thank you to all those who have reviewed, favourited/ alerted for this fanfic!_**

**_Replies:_**

**_michan-natsu: Hello! Thank you for your compliment! I'm guessing English isn't your first language but I'll try my best to answer your question. If you're asking if Yoichi will be accompanying Mikan, I think this chapter answered that. :)_**

**_SymmetricalGirl8DeathTheKid: hahaha! I can imagine a small yoichi riding the horse. Nah, he's one year younger than Koko, which would be 17._**

**_adrienna22: why let down by the Koko-Sumire-Yoichi centricness? Everyone has their own screen time, or should I say page time. The story will be told from almost everyone's point of view at any one time. :) The lines that are bolded are just Natsume's conscious talking to him. Italicised means they're in his head, but I wanted to differentiate between your normal thought process and the arguments that you have; you know the two voice thing? Hope this clears things up!_**

**_Manga Freak 1 & HeartArcFantasy21: Thank you for the compliment! Please do continue reviewing for they make me very happy and inspired!_**


	14. Chapter 13: Hajimari

**Chapter 13: Hajimari; Beginnings**

Natsume walked around in a long grey tunic. He was barefooted and all around him was sheer white. In the distance he saw the outlines of trees but they were bare and stained black.

"_Where am I?"_

He wondered around a bit more, seeing a river but it seemed that everything was in black and white. Bending down to look at his reflection, he reached out to the water but his eyes reflected sadness.

"_Did I walk around with that look in my eyes the whole time?"_

Suddenly the braid which he had kept so preciously in his headband fell out. The green beads reflected in the light and his first reaction was to catch it. He ran his fingers against the shiny beads, calming down as he did so. He never knew why they were able to calm him down since they were the very reason for his misery.

"_What am I doing?" _He thought while his eyes glazed over

"_**Your duty."**_ A girl's voice rang out throughout the surroundings.

Natsume stood up quickly and tucked the braid back into his headband. Looking left and right, he tried to find the source of the voice.

"Show yourself!"

He moved a little too quickly and a sheer pain ripped through his back once again. Biting his lower lip, he cursed as the pain slowly subsided. How did he get the pain?

Oh, right.

That mad man grabbed hold of him and starting cutting his skin as if he were a piece of meat. Whatever he did, it brought him levels of pain he never endured before. Sure the pain would surface once in a while, but it was something that he could handle. Going through that torture was a whole new thing.

"_What was he extracting from my back anyway?"_

Natsume reached behind and touched a spot. He could feel he small scar as he ran his finger along the whole incision.

"_**Your feathers."**_

The voice rang out again and Natsume was getting on an edge.

"Stop hiding! Show yourself!"

"I'm here."

Natsume whipped around to see a younger version of himself, in fact he saw his 10 year old self grinning at him. His hairs at the base of his neck stood up. This was a sick joke.

"Who are you?" Natsume questioned the boy.

"Silly, I'm you." The small boy laughed at the absurd question.

Walking towards the small boy, he grabbed his shoulder, "Stop joking around! Tell me where I am!"

The small boy continued laughing, "You are in your own memories. You are in the plane of memories."

"_The plane of memories? Isn't this place inaccessible by mortals?"_

"But you are no mere mortal Natsume. You are more than that." The boy appeared behind him and chuckled again.

"Who are you really?"

"An embodiment of what you want to see. You seem to have forgotten everything, _**shinigami**_."

Natsume's eyes narrowed at his younger self. This is insane. How could he be a shinigami, does this younger version of him even know what he was talking about? Everything here defies logic. He had to get out.

"Tell me how to get out, I'm done playing games with you."

"Will yourself out then. That is, if you know how." The small boy appeared beside the river and began pulling out the weeds by the side. "The pain will begin again." Looking up at Natsume, he smirked and disappeared.

"Wait!" Natsume shouted and the pain once again enveloped his back. This was ridiculous. Clenching his fist, he began running away from his current position. Anywhere was better than staying put.

'You can't run away from your duties, from what you are." The voice echoed all around.

"Then tell me!" Natsume was desperate. He did not like being in this place and he definitely did not like playing mind games with his younger self.

Younger Natsume appeared before him and held a mirror out, "better yet, I'll show you. You'll remember everything Natsume."

* * *

"_Please calm down! What good would destroying this earth do? You're defying the Gods!" A raven haired boy pleaded with the four elements._

"_**Is that… me?"**_Natsume thought to himself and looked to his younger version. It was a strange thing, seeing his present self and his younger self in the same scene.

"_Be quiet you lowly being!" The terra element told the boy off._

"_**Now I know why that crazy element attacked me."**_

"_What you're doing would only push the humans away from the Gods. You're destroying whatever faith they have in God!" The Natsume look-alike continued his plea._

"_Buzz off!" The Aria element blasted a burst of wind at him._

"_Can't you see?! You're being consumed by darkness! Your hearts are clouding over!" He shouted._

"_We do what we will to make the humans remember the wrath God can deal out. Stay out of this messenger." The Aqua element cooly said and regarded her siblings. Nodding to each other they disappeared, leaving the shinigami alone amidst the destruction._

_Saddened greatly, the shinigami concentrated and from his back a pair of black wings were produced._

"_**What…? Was that the cause of all those surges in pain?!"**_

_Following him, the shinigami flew over great distances, observing the damage done by the four elements. Occasionally he would see a lost soul and would personally guide them to the underworld. Other times, Kami would call for him and he would sadly give an account of all that he saw._

_Unable to take so much destruction, he arrived at a small village and walked on the ground. He placed a hand on a charred piece of wood and stared at the burnt village. Then he heard sobbing._

"_Dear God… I know that you are upset because we humans have forgotten about you and the gifts that you have given to us."_

_Walking towards the small voice, he saw a young girl kneeling in the mud which was now a mixture of blood and sand. She prayed fervently while staring up at the darkened sky._

"_There is still one amongst us who believes…" _Natsume heard his doppelganger's thoughts.

"_But even so, it is unfair to punish those who are innocent. What use is this life if you take it away so easily?" The small girl continued. "As the destruction continues, so does the malice of those who use this opportunity to pillage and plunder. All I ask now is for peace and stability."_

_The shinigami walked closer to the girl and stood beside her. Ensuring that she couldn't see him, he sat down beside her._

"_I have lost my entire village and I have nothing to offer you…" She whimpered, "but if my life which is the greatest gift you have given to mankind proves to be of worth, take it. In return for peace and stability, take my life and retract your anger."_

_The young girl raised a small dagger high above her head and was about to plunge it down deep into her stomach. Natsume shinigami stuck out his hand and caught hers._

"_Don't do it." He bore into the girl's hazelnut eyes._

_The girl's eyes widened in fear as she stared at the being clothed in pristine white while his contrasting black wings blocked out whatever little sunlight there was._

_She lost the strength in her arms and allowed him to take the dagger._

"_Taking your life would only sadden the Gods." Natsume explained while incinerating the dagger to ashes._

"_Who… who are you?" The little girl hugged her knees in fear._

"_Shinigami." Natsume regarded the small girl._

"_Shini…?"_

"_Shinigami. A being who acts as a messenger for the Gods." He sat back down beside the girl and looked at the gloomy sky._

"_So you're an angel?" The little girl felt no threat from the older boy and stretched out to touch the raven black feathers._

_Feeling her touch, his wings jerked back and she immediately withdrew her hand._

"_Sorry, it's just that no mortal has touched these wings before. They're a little unaccustomed to your touch. Here," Natsume plucked out a feather and gave it to her. "you can touch this."_

_The girl shyly stretched out her hand to take the feather._

"_No I'm not an angel." Natsume continued their previous topic._

"_Then you're an oni?"_

_He chuckled, surprised that a child could be so curious._

"_No… I suppose I'm not as well."_

_The girl looked at him with a confused look, obviously not being to comprehend that one could belong to neither sides._

"_I'm not good nor bad. I don't belong to heaven or earth. I would like to go to heaven, but I have to do enough deeds to earn me a place. So other than that, I'm just a messenger who is able to go between heaven and hell."_

"_Are you lonely and sad? Just like how I am?"_

"_Why'd you say that?" Natsume looked down at the child._

"_Because just like Sakura, you have no place to go. You don't belong to heaven or hell. My village has been destroyed and my family dead."_

_Her words resonated within him. Was he lonely? Was he sad? Sure he hated the destruction and wailing around him, but he never gave it much thought._

"_What are you going to do now?" He brushed the thought away and voiced his concern._

_Sakura hugged her knees and stared at the feather in her fingers, "I'll wait for Kami's reply. I have nothing else to do anyway. Thank you Shinigami-san."_

"_What for?"_

"_For keeping me company. You can go about your duties while I sit here and wait for Kami to reply me. I promise to be patient."_

_Then a thought suddenly struck him. "You do that. Stay here, I'll be back in a while." Stretching out his wings, Natsume took flight. Feeling more determined than ever, he flew straight through the gates of heaven and into the great halls where the Gods sat._

_Seeing the messenger fly in, they stopped whatever conversation they were having and stared at him._

"_What is it messenger?" One of the God's questioned him._

"_You promised that if one person believes in your existence and remembers you, you would spare this earth."_

"_There is no such person." All the God's broke out in a laughter._

_Natsume kept quiet and walked to the large water bowl in the middle. Touching it with his index finger, he brought up the image of Sakura sitting on the bloodied ground playing with the feather._

"_There is. She is the one."_

_The Gods stared at the image of the girl happily holding up the feather against the light. She then opened her mouth and sang one of the prayers which were used as thanks to the Gods while waiting for her Shinigami to return._

_Hearing her song, the darkness over their hearts was lifted and it suddenly hit them that they were neglecting their duties._

"_How long have we neglected mankind?" God asked the messenger._

"_Long enough. They have turned against each other, taking lives, pillaging. Your loyal servants have been consumed by rage and darkness that balance is now overthrown." Natsume looked deep into each of their eyes to convey the severity of the situation._

_Nodding in agreement, one of the God's stood up. "Come, we will hand you a gift which you are to pass to that girl. You are no longer a mere shinigami anymore; you shall be her protector. She is the only one capable of bring back the balance which is lost."_

_Natsume hurriedly followed behind the God, "Why her?"_

"_She is still a child and her heart has not yet been tainted by evil. Those with anger and doubt cannot wield this weapon." The God stopped in front of a large boulder and drew out the sword. "This sword is used to regain balance. It will be able to extinguish the evil within men's hearts, but you must guide her in gaining the trust of the 4 elements and over life and death. With that, she shall restore what once was."_

_Taking the sword between his hands, he bowed low before taking off and reaching the girl._

"_Kami has heard your prayers. Now, you have been given a task. Do you accept it?"_

_The little girl stood up and brushed the dirt from her dress._

"_I will."_

"_Then Sakura, let's begin your journey with this Shinigami."_

* * *

Natsume's eyes shot open. He remembered everything, everything that happened in his past life. He remembered the familiar feeling he had when he first saw Mikan and it has plagued him ever since. He hated how she could get under his skin and irk him when no one else could. He remembered how his body would naturally react when danger was around her. He remembered he was a shinigami.

"_Not was, you still are Natsume-san." _A girl with silver hair stood to his right, her violet dress swaying gently with the wind.

"_You got to be kidding me, am I still dreaming? If so, this is one hell of a long dream."_

"_Protect my mistress. Remember your duty." _ The silver haired girl spoke and disappeared with Natsume's next blink.

"_Did all that really happen? I need to get up. I need to gather my thoughts."_

Natsume realized he was placed face down on the bed. Moving his arms to push himself up, his left hand brushed against someone's head. Jerking away from the foreign object, he regretted moving with such haste as his back hurt.

"Ouch…" he muttered to himself as his body collapsed back on the bed. He looked to his left and saw a whole head of golden brown locks. To the side of the head, he saw the golden bead which reflected the soft sunlight that was streaming through the makeshift window. Looking around, his eyes fixed on the bowl of red water on the nightstand and beside it, another small bowl with black feathers.

"_Great. I thought being cut up was a dream as well."_

Moving slowly so as not to wake the princess, he pushed himself off the bed gingerly. Finally able to move, he lowered his legs and glanced over his shoulder, ensuring that Mikan was still asleep. Moving his weight to his legs, he stood up and stretched slowly, aware of the slight pain from his five new wounds. He caught sight of his back in the mirror and touched the wounds lightly. Noting that the new baby pink skin was healing nicely, he walked back to the bed and stared at Mikan.

Clutching tightly in her hand was a brown jar which was now close to being empty. Prying the jar from her death like grip, he took a whiff of it before setting it down on the nightstand.

"_Nasty stuff… this element really likes torturing me. A bath… a bath…"_

Mikan stirred slightly from her sleep and Natsume froze in place. He knew she had been up slapping on thick layers of the salve on his back since he could smell it from where he was standing. Bending down, he slid an arm beneath her knee and supported her with the other. Taking a deep breath, he lifted her off the ground.

"_I thought she was putting on more weight, but was she always this light?"_

Natsume chuckled to himself. This would be the second time he was carrying her and thinking that exact same thoughts. Walking to the thin curtain, he used his elbow to open one side before slipping his body through the opening. Placing her on her bed, he tugged the covers over her and walked away.

However, while he was gathering his bathing essentials, he heard footsteps behind him.

Mikan groggily go off her bed and walked back to check on Natsume, not bothering to recall if she ever made it to her bed last night. Seeing him up and about through the sheer curtain, he rubbed her eyes and walked over to him.

"Good morning Natsume-san." Mikan chirped while stifling a yawn.

Natsume's eyes showed surprise and she tilted her head to the side.

"_Was putting her in her bed a waste of effort?"_

"Morning." Natsume curtly said before returning to stuffing his new clothes and bath soaps in his arms. Then he turned on his heels and headed for the bath.

While Natsume was gathering his things, Mikan surveyed his back. It was healing nicely but… has it always been that muscular? Was his shoulders ever so broad? Her thoughts were cut short when Natsume moved off and closed the door to the bath.

Mikan noted that Ruka was still asleep and decided to clean up a little. She found a pitcher with clean water and washed her face quickly with the cold water. Seeing some left, she took a clean cloth and began wiping away any blood or healing salve on the ground.

Satisfied with her handiwork, she poured all the dirty water into a bowl before gathering them up and passing it to a servant which passed by.

Then it suddenly hit her that Natsume was most likely unable to wash his own back due to the wounds.

"_But it is preposterous for a princess to wash the back of a commoner. __**Since when has social standings stopped you from doing something? **__Ok fine, but it is not acceptable for an unmarried lady to be doing something so outrages. __**He has done so many things for you, what harm would asking do? **__ Fine if it's just asking."_

Mikan finished the argument in her head before a loud crash emitted from the bathroom.

"Natsume-san?! Are you all right?"

No sound.

"Natsume-san? I'm coming in." Mikan placed her hand on the doorknob and twisted it while slowly pushing the door open. "Natsume?"

"_Thank the heavens for the large amounts of steam." _Was all Natsume could think of as Mikan slowly came into the bathroom. All he wanted was that one piece of cloth to clean his body but gravity decided to be a pain and the whole tub dropped to the ground, throwing him flat on the cold stone floor.

"Give me a moment. Don't step any further." Natsume commented while grabbing a towel to hide his lower half.

"_Did I just say give me a moment?! What is wrong with me?!"_

"Natsume? Are you all right? I heard a really loud crash." Mikan's voice cut through the steam.

"I'm fine. What are you doing in the bathroom anyway? Don't you have any sense of propriety? " Natsume rubbed his sore body.

"_Thank the heavens for the large amounts of steam." _Mikan closed her eyes and thanked heavens; at least he could not see her red face. "I thought you'd have some trouble washing your back. If you like, I could help you."

Natsume wring the dreaded cloth that he wanted and tried to scrub his own back but the wounds made it difficult for him to reach the middle of it.

The idea played around in his mind but his common sense took the reins. The bathroom with a nearly naked man was not a place a princess should be. No, he cannot take that offer.

"I could use a bit of help. The wounds are making it difficult for me to reach the middle of my back." Natsume calmly replied while ignoring the fallen tub and moving to sit in the other one filled with the milky liquid. _"No no no! What the hell are you saying you twerb?! Do you want to get executed?! This is absurb!"_

Mikan moved to the counter which held the towels and she took a small thing one. "I'm coming in, excuse me."

She walked to the middle of the bathroom and saw the overturned tub, concluding that the loud crash came from this tub. Seeing Natsume's back against her, she cleared her throat and walked up to him. Glad to note that this was the tub with the milky water, she grabbed a stool and sat behind him.

"Are you feeling better?" Mikan asked.

"I am, thank you." Natsume could feel his body tensing as Mikan dipped the cloth into the water and wringed it.

She slowly pressed the soft fabric against his skin and began to gently clean his back. Feeling awkward, she tried talking to him.

"Misaki did a lot huh?" She said while cleaning the wound areas with utmost care.

"A lot is an understatement hime. He was cutting me up." Natsume flatly replied.

"But he did say it was necessary. The feathers were growing towards your lungs."

"That man is forever justifying his actions. He was like this in the past as long as I can remember."

The sound of water dripping back into the tub filled the silence.

"But you just met him yesterday." Mikan whispered, her hand pausing at the middle of his back.

Natsume didn't know how he was to explain to her that his past memories came back. Was it a normal thing?

"He did say something weird…" Mikan began again.

"He?"

"Misaki-san." Mikan squeezed the cloth in her hand, "He said you're the vessel of a shinigami. Is it true?"

Natsume let out a sigh. Great, that man didn't give him much of a choice in this incident.

"I just found out last night." Natsume replied while observing her reaction from the corner of his eye. "Do you believe me? Do you believe such things can happen?"

Mikan began moving her hand and cleaning his back. "From this journey, I believe anything can happen. I believe you, not because of all that has happened, but because I've been shown your past."

"You've seen my memories as a shinigami?" Natsume whipped around and stared at her eyes.

Mikan looked to the ground in embarrassment, the whole of last night, all she ever saw of him was his back, but now in front of her was his whole chest.

"No. But I've seen enough to know that you will never tell a lie."

Natsume panicked. Did she see _that_ incident yet? How could she trust him unless she's seen that? His barriers came back up again, not liking for one moment that someone else was snooping around in his memories.

"Don't act like you know me, princess. Just because I am the vessel of a shinigami and you are the supposed chosen one, it does not mean I am obliged to be anything more than your guide. The relationship we had in the past does not dictate the relationship we are going to have now."

The words stung Mikan's heart. How could he say that? It was not her choice which memories she saw, but whatever she's seen so far were just incidences which shaped him to become a soldier. She never saw any more than the last memory of him joining the army officially. Why was he so angry? Why was he accusing her?

Draping the cloth over the side of the tub, she stood up.

"I apologise for trying to get to know you. I thought we were friends and past the whole social standing thing. Clearly you've thought otherwise. I've cleaned your back and if there's nothing else, I'll leave. Do try to be move slowly and not aggravate the wound." Nodding her head slightly, she walked out of the bathroom, allowing a tear to stream out of her eye.

"_Why am I feeling sad? We've only been travelling together for a month; sure he wouldn't want to be more than friends. He was forced into joining us. But why does my chest ache? His words rang true."_

Not wanting to dwell on it, she walked back to the room and found Ruka gone. Looking to her bed, she saw a new set of clothes and quickly changed into it before going for breakfast.

"_There are more important things than Natsume right now, things such as Sumire's test."_

* * *

Sumire stared at the large pile of rotting books before her, not that she minded the smell but the numbers were overwhelming. She was starting to regret asking Nonoko to bring her all the books regarding plants which had the characteristics she had described. While impressed with her knowledge, Nonoko could not tell her where the information was found in the book.

Faced with not only the large numbers but the foreign terms they were using, Sumire let out a sigh.

"Giving up so quickly?" Ruka entered the library.

Sumire shook her head and sat straight. Pulling the pieces of parchment towards her, she took up the quill and started by writing the book's title. Then flipping the leather bound cover, she started glancing through for the information she needed.

"Here." Ruka came up beside her and placed the potted plant on the desk.

Not bothering to raise her head to look at the plant causing all this problems, Sumire took down bits of information and placed the book in a new pile labelled 'USELESS'.

"Where's everyone else?" Sumire enquired while taking another book to scrutinise.

"Mikan's in the courtyard practicing her gymnastic skills while Natsume is looking around." Ruka walked over to the bookshelves and looked at a random title.

"Good morning Ruka-sama." Nonoko bowed her head and smiled at the handsome blonde.

Ruka nodded his head and picked out the book. Turning it around in his hand, he decided to brush up a bit on his knowledge regarding medicinal plants. Returning to another table, he started reading the book, leaving Sumire to her research.

Sumire thought back to the morning where she was given the green light to start on her test.

Misaki just smiled at her and said "begin".

Really, was that all he was going to say? He made her wait the entire night just to say one word? Sumire could not comprehend how this man could be so… she couldn't even find the word to insult him in her head. Annoyed, she grabbed a slice of bread on the table and stuffed it into her mouth. Storming off to the library, she called out for Nonoko while the bread was still in her mouth.

"Good morning Sumire-hime. How may I be of service?" Nonoko had her hair up in a loose bun and her light brown dress swayed as she curtsied.

"Give me all the books regarding a plant which is sensitive to touch and has flowers which bloom occasionally. Also, books on plans which flower early in their growth stages. Thanks."

Sumire walked off to find paper and writing equipment while leaving Nonoko to find her said books. However, she did not expect Nonoko to have found the large number of books already siting at her assigned table.

This brings her back to where she is now, and Nonoko was still carrying books to her table.

"Nonoko, how many books are there?" Sumire asked while tossing aside the 10th book she has scanned through.

"Including the ones you've read…" Nonoko counted those in the 'USELESS' pile, she continued, "another sixty or so? I've already given you forty, do you need the other ten now?"

Sumire was in shock, she has to plough through another fifty books?!

Nonoko just giggled and continued finding the books which were requested of her.

Dipping her quill back into the ink pot, Sumire bit her tongue and continued looking through the books. She had to be patient, for all their sakes. Then the words 'sensitive to touch' stood out in the vast sea of words and a little spark of hope grew within her.

Absorbed in finding information, Sumire finally ploughed through all the sixty books and looked out of the window. It was finally dark and Sumire's stomach growled loudly. Looking down at her handwritten notes, Sumire could safely narrow down the plant's name to eight.

All she needed now was to find out definite ways to distinguish them, but that was going to be a problem after she got some food into her system.

* * *

Misaki looked around the little harbour town while Hotaru hid her bike in a deserted alley, under a large piece of unwanted canvas. It has been a long while since they had contact with civilisation, and one so near the sea at that.

"We should look for an inn to stay at, oh and eat this," Hotaru passed Misaki a suspiciously bright orange sweet.

"What's this?" Misaki eyed the candy before popping it into her mouth.

Immediately she felt an electric bolt shoot through her body and straight to the ends of her hair. Hotaru held up a small mirror for her to look and Misaki stifled a small gasp.

"My hair… it's turned black!" Misaki exclaimed.

Hotaru snorted and adjusted the weight of the bag on her shoulder. "We can't have the soldiers identify you while we're in this town. Don't worry, the effects will wear off in another three hours."

Not being able to fully accept that her hair was of a weird colour, Misaki took her own bag and followed Hotaru. Both of them were careful to avoid contact with the soldiers which were posted in this town. When they had first flew into the small town, there was nothing that stood out and raised any alarms. However, that was soon to change.

As soon as Misaki and Hotaru secured a room in an inn, the door banged open and in marched a group of soldiers. They sat wherever they liked and demanded for the innkeeper to serve them. With their hearts in their throats, both of them moved slowly up the stairs into the rooms. Closing the door behind them, they caught the orders from the commanding officer.

"Men! Make sure to go to your posts after getting your fill. We are to ensure the princesses do not freely walk into this harbour. Any negligence will be dealt with severely!"

They heard the heavy footsteps exit the inn and murmurs could be heard throughout the inn.

"They're on the lookout for Mikan and company." Misaki whispered urgently.

Hotaru's purple eyes flashed with fear and anticipation, "we have to find that pirate fast."

"How? In such a town, pirates are a common occurrence. Besides, he could have blended in." Misaki retorted.

Hotaru thought for a while, "We can't give up now. Let's try asking around for him."

Misaki looked at the younger girl.

"After we had a rest and a change of clothes. We need to blend in even more." Hotaru took out a few pieces of clothing from her bag and started changing into them. "Just remember, they're not on a look out for me, but you're a whole different story. Be extra careful when you're out there." Hotaru warned her senior and passed her a few more of the orange sweets.

"We'll leave after the soldiers leave; it's our chance to leave by the back door." Misaki noted.

Hotaru nodded and pulled the black bandana over her hair before exiting the room to get some food.

* * *

**_As promised, this came out a week later! Phew, it took me a long while to get all this written. I apologise if it's not as exciting as the previous chapter, but please bear with it! Do look out for the next chapter 2 weeks from now as I'm really busy this week with tests and reports._**

**_Thank you so much to those who reviewed and placed alerts/ favourite this fanfic! Do review as they're correlated to the amount of inspirations I have. :D_**

**_Also, I have another GA NXM fanfic in the making, but I'm wondering, should I post it up or keep focusing solely on this till it's done before posting the other one up? Decisions, decisions._**

**_Replies:_**

**_SymmetricalGirl8DeathTheKid: You reviewed really really fast and it surprised me! :) Thanks for the compliment! Please review again!_**

**_michan-natsu: I love it when I update as well because you readers are happy. haha! I try my best to update._**

**_adrienna22: Hello once again! the idea for the veins was really random but I remember seeing veins which were slightly darker on leaves before so hey, why not just use it in this fanfic? ^^ I think this chapter would have indicated that there's still a lot of mystery behind Natsume's past. It'll be revealed, soonish._**

**_Mikanpriscila-chan: haha, spanish (if I'm not wrong)! I don't really understand it but I'm guessing you're asking me for an update and the previous chapter was good. Thanks! :) Nice to know that I have readers from all backgrounds!_**

**_HeartArcFantasy21: They will see each other soon! Most likely in a chapter or two. Hang on! They've each got their own things to do. :D_**

**_cakeluver2: I'm glad you like pirates. In my previous fanfic, one of the readers suggested a pirate idea, so I'm just working on that. However their main spotlight won't be till two chapters later. I'm still figuring out how to bring them out. :)_**

**_April Catastrophe8: Awwww thanks! I hope you'll like this fanfic as much as the last, though it's been updating very slowly. Uni is busy busy! I try my best to fit in all the characters because that's what made the manga loveable. Yeah he'll turn up soon, in 2 chapters time. :) How can we leave him out... ^^ I like that Ruka is Narumi's son in this as well. We'll see some hilarious moments later._**


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